Naruto of the LinKuei
by The Vale
Summary: The story of the greatest warrior of them all, the Eternal Warrior King who won immortality through battle from the hands of Death, he whose footfalls shook the Heavens and brought Hell to its knees. Yes, let the legend of the Maelstrom begin!
1. Sealing

No knowledge of Mortal Kombat or Naruto is strictly required for this fanfic, though you might enjoy it more if you do have said information.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Mortal Kombat or any of the characters contained therein, I'm just bribing them to work for me. No profit is intended to be made from this fan-work.

**Naruto of the Lin-Kuei**

By

The Vale

Once, nine great demons roamed the land. Each demon towered high into the sky, as though seeking to drag down the gods themselves. These foul beasts would wander the land, revelling in the destruction left in their wake, entire civilisations obliterated from the face of the land to sate their blood-lust, only dull memories echoing through the ages giving testimony that such places ever existed.

And so it was for many thousands of years that these great and terrible Biju, the tailed beasts, roamed the land, each tail a sign of the demons place in the hierarchy of Makai, the spirit realm. But such destruction in the mortal realms could not go unnoticed forever. And so it came to pass that the Elder Gods descended upon the land and spoke to the Biju, commanding them to leave the realm of mortals and return to Makai, there to wage war and destruction to their hearts content, satisfying their unquenchable battle-lust on their own kind.

The Biju laughed and scorned these gods who would dare command ones such as they, whose powers were unmatched. For you see, the Biju had been in the mortal realm too long, had grown too fond of the taste of death- a fate which was denied the immortal denizens of Makai, who even if their bodies were destroyed, would walk again given time- and addicted to the sense of power that was gained from having no equal to challenge their might.

With their laughter ringing across the land, their terrible mirth causing plants and trees to shrivel up and die, the horrifying sound of their laughter striking deaf those who managed to hear it, minds shattered as it echoed through their souls until their dying day, the Biju turned back from the Elder Gods and continued their revelry.

The Elder Gods were outraged by such disrespect, though few truly cared of what fate befell the mortal realm. So gathering their power, each God struck down one of the nine, imprisoning them within an aspect of their element, to suffer on helplessly in the realm they refused to leave.

But time moves on, and not even the Gods are without flaw. One by one the Biju escaped their prisons, wreaking havoc with renewed ire, their vengeance roused. This time however, it was mortals who would end their rampage. With ingenious manipulations these forces of nature were sealed away once more, this time into the very bodies of those which they sought to destroy and worse still, mere children to be their gaolers.

But this is a story you know all too well I expect. No, I see in your eyes the tale you wish to hear. The story of the greatest warrior of them all, the Eternal Warrior King who won immortality through battle from the hands of death, he whose footfalls shook the Heavens and brought Hell to its knees.

Yes, let the legend of the Maelstrom begin!

* * *

"Fuuinjutsu: Shiki Fuujin!" cried the Yondaime Hokage. A slight wince crossed his face as the ethereal form of the Shinigami appeared behind him, one arm reaching through his stomach to grasp the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the most powerful demon among the legendary Biju. With a single swing of one its nine mighty tails it is said the Kyuubi can shatter mountains and create Tsunami. 

But even this power was not sufficient to defeat the pull of the Shinigami and so, with a final howl filled with rage and the promise of vengeance, the nine tailed demon fox was sealed away within the belly of a young boy, less than a single day old.

The Yondaime had just enough time to look at the face of the boy –no– the hero, he had chosen as sacrifice for the forbidden technique of his own design, before his own soul was consumed by the death god called up by his technique.

"Forgive me, my son…"

And with that, the greatest shinobi to walk the elemental countries passed from the mortal realm and into Death's domain.

High above the battleground two beings stood upon a dark cloud, observing the proceedings below.

"It is a pity that such a great warrior should perish in such a manner. He would have done well amongst our number."

The first beings companion nodded in response, his eyes never leaving the field below.

"Indeed, though he turned back from that fate long ago. Still, it is troublesome that the Biju were able to break free so close to one another in time."

The first hummed in response before going to one knee atop the cloud.

"Be that as it may, the mortals seem to have dealt with the threat for now. These events bear little consequence in the scheme of things, why is our presence needed here?"

The other chuckled, the sound like rumbling thunder in the distance.

"Surely Fujin, you do not expect me to leave my grandson amongst these people without first teaching him of his lineage?"

Fujin seemed surprised by this, evidenced by the slight widening of his eyes.

"They don't know? Surely these mortals could not be so foolish. After all, their Yondaime named his prized technique for his father. Indeed, the Hiraishin no Jutsu would not exist without your inspiration Raiden."

Raiden chuckled once again before replying.

"My son took great pride in using mortal means to replicate the technique of Gods. His opinion was that even mortals could surpass us, possessing within them infinite capacity for growth. A belief I share."

Fujin looked up at this, meeting the eyes of the Elder God beside him.

"Be that as it may, what will you do with your grandson? The others will not permit one such as he, born of mortal and possessing the spirit of the Makai king, to enter the heavenly realms."

Raiden nodded, his eyes still fixed upon a point far below where a wrapped bundle containing the small child that was subject of these great beings conversation lay.

"I have already decided this, my friend. Come, it is time to retrieve my grandson and take him to his new home."

With that the being known as Raiden disappeared, his body turned to a bolt of lightning that struck towards the ground, leaving only empty space where he previously stood.

Fujin shook his head as he chuckled at his companions antics, the sound of his mirth like a breeze rustling through the trees.

"Show-off."

And in a whirl of wind he was gone, following his friend down to where the mortals rapidly approached.

* * *

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?" Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage demanded of the men standing before him. 

Both of the men looked up from their examination of the newly born child, resting peacefully within a bundle of cloth resting in the elders arms.

Both of the strangers were dressed in an outlandish fashion, which is saying something when coming from a shinobi, especially one as well travelled as Sarutobi.

The younger seeming of the two was dressed in soft dark blue fighting slippers, spiked metal bracers on his ankles holding his loose fitting green silk pants close too his body. Around his waist rested a thick golden metal belt, small diamond protrusions on the sides, from under which cloth maroon coverings fell to his thighs, hemmed in gold. Spiked metal bracers adorned his wrists, metal shoulder guards under loose maroon cloth covering his upper body, leaving his arms and sides bare. His long grey hair was twisted into a battle braid, held together by four golden metal rings along its length. An imposing warrior, his presence screamed power, his silver eyes unnerving the aged Hokage.

The elder seemed more relaxed than his companion, an amused smile resting on his face. Unlike his companion, his own grey hair hung loose to slightly below his shoulders in the back, cropped short at the sides and front beneath his large straw hat. Whilst the man next to him was obviously a warrior, he seemed to be a fighter monk for though his upper body was dressed in loose white robes with wide flaring sleeves, they only extended to the knees and were left open, possessing a long slit at the back for manoeuvrability and tied tight at the waist with a wide strip of black silk. Like the younger, he too had the cloth covering on his upper body extending to mid thigh over his other clothes beneath his belt, though his own was deep blue and trimmed in gold. His pants and slippers were the same as his companions though once again white in colour, the bracers on his arms and legs black with gold runic inlay patterning their surface.

Once again the Hokage found himself unnerved by this mans stare, an electric blue reminiscent of the Yondaime, but more piercing, more powerful. He could practically feel the power radiating from the pair. It was doubtful he could survive a battle with them should it come to such. Sarutobi hoped it would not, Konohagakure had lost too much already this night and to leave the village leaderless would be a needless blow.

The elder chuckled, a sound like distant thunder rumbling forth from his chest before replying to the Hokage's question.

"I have been known by many names, though you may call me Raiden."

The younger then spoke up, as though this was a well practiced speech between the two.

"And I am known as Fujin."

'Lightning and Wind? Likely those are just code names given for their Jutsu specialties. At least I know what to expect if it comes down to a fight.'

Bringing his attention back to the two before him, Sandaime addressed the one called Raiden since he seemed to be the one in charge.

"And what is your purpose here? You don't bare the markings of a hidden village, though you are obviously powerful. Are you friend or foe?"

Once again Raiden chuckled.

"Neither, we are simply observers. Though our purpose here is more personal in nature, I am here to pay respects to my departed son, who died in battle against the Kyuubi. I will also be taking my grandson from this place, to be raised by allies of mine who will teach him the ways of Shinobi, as his father would have wanted. As for Fujin, he's here to make sure I don't get into trouble." Raiden replied with a smile, mirth dancing in his eyes.

Sarutobi wasn't called the Professor for nothing and he quickly put two and two together, remembering a long ago half forgotten conversation with his successor.

Relaxing his stance he smiled sadly at the two men standing in front of him.

"So you are Arashi's father. He once told me of you and your accepting nature towards death. I see he failed to mention the two of you shared your… mirthful… nature."

Raiden barked a laugh as Fujin smiled. Seeing this, the Sandaime continued.

"You will be taking Naruto then?"

The two nodded simultaneously, their faces becoming serious.

"Yes, I will take him to a clan of allied ninjas that owe me some favours. From them he will learn the way of shinobi whilst I teach him of his lineage and history, amongst other things."

The Hokage nodded in acceptance. This was Raiden's right after all as Naruto's grandfather and likely head of family. Still, they had to know about the Kyuubi and he felt that Arashi would have wanted his son to become a Konoha ninja. It was his responsibility to represent his late Successor in this matter and so he spoke up.

"That is your right, as he is your grandson. However I think that Arashi would have wanted Naruto to become a Konoha Ninja like his father, not to mention with the Kyuubi trapped inside him Naruto will probably need additional special training to control its power."

Fujin spoke up now, for the first time since introducing himself.

"He will get all the training required, I will see to that."

Raiden was a little surprised by this, having expected Fujin to wash his hands of this matter once he had finished observing. Nevertheless his surprise didn't show as he smoothly responded to the Sandaime's questioning.

"Indeed. Your children are not accepted into the ranks of shinobi until age thirteen correct?"

Sarutobi nodded in response.

"Very well then, Naruto will return in thirteen years time to take his place among Konohagakure shinobi. After that point it will be his own choice what path his life will take."

Sarutobi nodded with a smile, thankful that the Yondaime's legacy would not be lost to the village.

"Thank you."

The two nodded with smiles of their own.

In a flash of blue lightening and crack of thunder, Raiden and his cargo disappeared. At the shocked look upon the Sandaime's face Fujin chuckled, drawing the Hokage's attention.

"Till next we meet."

With that the air seemed to twist around his form and he too disappeared, a slight breeze marking his passage.

* * *

Sarutobi was glad now that those two had taken the boy. The reaction of the village when they had heard of the Kyuubi's sealing had forced the Sandaime to institute a new law forbidding it to be spoken of in the hopes Naruto would not be ostracised when he returned to the village. 

Needless to say, Sarutobi was disappointed in the villagers' reaction of hatred towards a boy that they had not even seen yet, calling him a demon and demanding blood once it was announced he would return in thirteen years to become a ninja of Konohagakure. Looking down upon the celebrating village from his office in the Hokage tower, Sandaime turned his gaze to the stars above, sending out a thought to the distant son of the Yondaime.

'Grow strong Naruto. You will need it to face the trials ahead.'

At the same time, far distant from the Elemental Countries, on another world altogether, two gods sat in conference with the man code named Sub-Zero, Grandmaster of the Lin-Kuei Ninja Clan.

"Greetings Raiden, Fujin." Spoke the Grandmaster with a deep bow from his kneeling position on the Tatami rugs of his clan's tea room, his head touching the floor briefly before he straightened "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Nodding marginally in response to the greeting, the two gods knelt on the soft mats placed before them for that purpose, graciously accepting the Sake proffered to them before replying.

"I have come to ask a favour of you Sub-Zero, and your clan as well. This," said Raiden, revealing the sleeping blond, whisker marked face of Naruto from within the bundle of cloth in his arms, "is my Grandson. I want him to be trained in the techniques of your clan."

Sub-Zero felt a great deal of pride at this announcement. It's not often an Elder God asks your clan personally to raise and train one of their lineage.

"It would be an honour Lord Raiden." Said Sub-Zero humbly, once more bowing deeply.

Raiden chuckled.

"Good, I am glad you are so agreeable. But there is more to it then that. This boy contains a Makai lord known as Kyuubi. As such he will need to learn how to use Youki in addition to Chakra. For that both myself and Fujin here will be torment-I mean training him once he is old enough to begin teaching, in addition to the lessons with your clan."

Sub-Zero nodded, it was understandable after all, and none of his clan mates had any experience with Youki other than in battling against demons.

There was more to be said, however this time it was Fujin who spoke up.

"You will train him in your family arts, Smoke will teach him the Shadow Arts, Shujinko will teach him the Nameless Arts and Reptile will teach him the arts of stealth and illusion. Anything else he picks up from other senseis is acceptable. Those three and yourself are the only teachers he requires constantly. I may take him to learn from some of my associates from time to time however."

Sub-Zero frowned at this.

"That might be a little difficult to arrange. None of those three have ever consented to teach an apprentice, Shujinko even refuses to pass on his teachings to any who ask, the other three are still in service of the clan and show no interest in passing on their knowledge yet."

Raiden was the one who responded to the Grandmaster's words, Fujin apparently having said his piece as he returned to sipping his Sake.

"Well the boy won't start real training for three or four years yet, so there is time to convince them."

'I had forgotten that actually.' Thought Sub-Zero, the fact they were speaking of a mere babe less than twenty-four hours old having slipped his mind.

"Well, time for us to go. We'll pop in from time to time to see how he's doing."

With that the two stood up to leave, Raiden handing over Naruto to the waiting arms of the Grandmaster. As the two gods turned to leave, Sub-Zero realised he had overlooked an important fact-he didn't know the child's name. As he was about to call out to the departing duo to rectify this, Fujin turned so he was half facing towards him and answered the unvoiced question, as though reading his mind.

"His name is Naruto."

With that the two were gone from the Lin-Kuei compound, though they would return many times in the years to come. Looking down at the bundle in his arms, piercing electric blue eyes peered back at him from the now awake child, Sub-Zero smiled.

"Naruto eh? We will have to see whether another name is more fitting, come your naming day."

Looking deep into those with his own ice blue orbs, Sub-Zero felt for a moment he could see a potential for power there, deep and unfathomable, ferociously twisting and turning like…

"Yes, Maelstrom indeed."

* * *

Authors notes: 

Look up Fujin from Mortal Kombat on wikipedia to get what I'm saying in the descriptions if you can't visualise it.

**The following is an explanation of some terms that is mostly for curiosity's sake, as well as so I don't forget things. This is slightly different from traditional Mortal Kombat ideas as well, though they did inspire it.**

In my story there are many realms, each separated into worlds i.e.- Elemental Countries are in one world in the "mortal realm", Lin-Kuei clan is located in another world in the "mortal realm".

Makai is one world in the "spirit realm"

Netherworld is another world in the "spirit realm"

"Heavenly realms" is where the gods live, the worlds there aren't separated and are called realms individually instead of worlds because it makes the Gods feel special. Each individual realm has a specific name like for instance, the realm of Valhala- where the Lesser Gods of the Norse Pantheon live.

Most of that will be explained in the story if it comes up however, so don't worry about it.

**Character info:**

**Smoke: **

**Clan: Lin-Kuei**

**Rank: Master Assassin, Confidant/Friend of Sub-Zero**

**Status: Active**

**Race: Human **

Long time friend of Sub-Zero and a master of the Shadow Arts, the art of manipulating, shaping, altering and entering shadows and the so called "Shadow Realm" though little is known about the full extent of his abilities outside of Sub-Zero himself. Gained the codename Smoke due to his preference for a particular technique which allows the user to temporarily turn themselves into a black "Shadow Mist" that resembles smoke to avoid attacks, enter secure locations or move between two points separated by a distance extremely rapidly (near instant), due to the massive reduction of friction and wind resistance upon the "Shadow Mist".

**Reptile:**

**Clan: Lin-Kuei**

**Rank: Master Assasin**

**Status: Active/Insane**

**Race: Human**

Likes using poisons/chemicals and illusions, skilled in being invisible and stealthy (like a Chameleon) this in combination with his use of chemistry-poisons and acids primarily-resulted in his code name given on his naming day was Reptile. None who have seen what lies under his facemask have lived to tell the tale.

**Shujinko:**

**Clan: Lin-Kuei**

**Rank: Elder**

**Status: non active/scholar**

**Race: human **

Master of the Nameless arts-called such because he created them himself after travelling across many realms and worlds learning from as many martial art masters as would teach him, many of whom had reached such great age and dedicated so much of themselves to their art they had long since forgotten their own name, thus becoming Nameless Masters. His style is named in respect for his previous teachers who were so dedicated to their art they gave up their own name. It is for this reason he no longer goes by his code name as do other Lin-Kuei.

**Sub-Zero **

**Clan: Lin-Kuei**

**Rank: Grandmaster of the Lin-Kuei**

**Status: Active**

**Race: human**

His family have dedicated their life to perfecting the arts of Sub-Zero manipulation, which is extreme cold energy and ice manipulation. Because of this, each head of family is given the code name Sub-Zero upon taking that position whilst lesser members of the family hold their normal Lin-Kuei code names, usually something to do with cold or ice ie-Frostbite, Snow, Blizzard, Frost, Ice etc.

The current Sub-Zero is the greatest master of Sub-Zero manipulation in over one thousand years, able to produce ice even in a volcanic arena and capable of turning an area of up to one-hundred metres in diameter into a frozen wasteland.

**Fujin:**

**Clan: The Seven Elements**

**Rank: Elder God**

**Status: Immortal**

**Race: Gods**

This god holds dominion over the wind and was one of the first seven gods to come into existence, the oldest and most powerful gods in all the realms. Closely tied to Raiden, the two have been friends since creation began. Fujin is a warrior amongst gods and greatly feared and respected for his actions during the War of the Realms.

**Raiden:**

**Clan: The Seven Elements**

**Rank: Elder God**

**Status: Immortal**

**Race: Gods**

This god holds dominion over lightening and was one of the first seven gods to come into existence, the oldest and most powerful gods an all realms. Holds close ties to Fujin, the two having been friends since creation began. Raiden has long been a guiding force in the realms and is greatly respected for both his wisdom and battle prowess, his words hold a great deal of weight amongst the Elder Gods. Having a great deal of fondness for certain humans, Raiden has had a child of union between himself and a mortal woman, the only Elder God to have ever done so.

And finally some techniques translated in case you don't already know them.

**Hiraishin no Jutsu** (Flying Thunder God) -allows user to instantly travel between two points by using a kunai inscribed with complex seals to summon the user to the kunai. Each kunai must be specially made and inscribed with seals by the user, in their own blood and chakra. In addition the seals on the blade are specific to each individual user. This technique was the ultimate creation of the Yondaime Hokage, Kazama Arashi.

**Fuuinjutsu: Shiki Fuujin**- (Sealing technique: Dead Demon Sealing) –Forbidden technique designed by the Yondaime Kazama Arashi to seal away the soul of any living creature within another, either the user of the technique or another human vessel. The user sacrifices their own life in order to summon the Shinigami to seal the targets soul within themselves or the chosen vessel. The target is then dragged down into the underworld when the vessel dies. If the vessel is the user of the technique then the target dies on completion of the technique. If the vessel is another person then the targets body dies immediately whilst their soul and mind lives on within the vessel until the vessel dies.

Until next time!


	2. Home

"It's been thirteen years since you came to us to begin your training. Now it is time to return to your birthplace, the home of your father, and there choose the path to your destiny."

Shujinko's voice was strong, despite his great age, and echoed with wisdom. In his time it was a voice that had brought kings and emperors to pause. Today it was directed at a young warrior of thirteen years, standing before his teachers to say a final farewell.

"Hai Shujinko-Sensei. Thank you for all you have taught me. I hope whatever path I choose that I someday may be even half as wise as you."

Naruto had grown well under the guidance of his various teachers. Standing at just over five foot tall, it was likely he would be of average height once his growth was completed. Unlike most Lin-Kuei he was permitted to wear clothes of his own choosing, rather than the standard Lin-Kuei ninja uniform.

Like his Grandfather Raiden, Naruto chose to wear soft Kung-Fu slippers and loose Chinese silk pants. Around each of his ankles was a set of bracers, black in colour and covered in deep red and silver inlayed patterning, a gift from Fujin to commemorate the day of his leaving the Lin-Kuei. Around his waist rested a thick black belt of material, trimmed in deep red once more, a dark metal and silver dragon in the middle serving as a buckle, the symbol of the Tournament of the Realms, Mortal Kombat. This last was a symbol given to him upon his first victory in the tournament, to commemorate the youngest ever to stand as Champion of Mortal Kombat at merely ten years of age, a joint gift from Shao Kahn, ruler of Outworld and his own Grandfather Raiden, as the two opposing guardians of the Tourney Naruto won.

A long sleeved Chinese silk shirt covered his upper body, over which he wore his bracers, each black in colour with the symbol of the Deadly Alliance in silver on each, deep red flames surrounding it and the central dragon wreathed in lightening, eyes of an electric blue, parts of the silver missing to show black scales beneath, as though the dragon were breaking free. This was a gift given to him on his twelfth birthday by his friends, Princess Kitana and the vampiress Nitara.

And finally over the top of it all a dark red leather trench-coat, that Naruto stole from an acquaintance of Fujin named Dante, a half devil that helped him to learn about controlling his Youki.

Each having said there goodbyes, it was now time to take his leave of his sensei of the last thirteen years, his family. It was difficult for Naruto to turn away, there was no telling if he would ever see these people, or any of his other friends again, because he was going to a "closed" world, at the edge of the Mortal and Spirit Realms. It would take the power of a god to move between the two and it was unlikely that any would consent to trafficking him from place to place without good reason. Even Raiden and Fujin would refuse.

Firming his resolve, Naruto turned his back on his family and calmly walked over to where Raiden and Fujin awaited to escort him.

"Maelstrom."

Naruto paused at the sound of Sub-Zero calling him by his Lin-Kuei name, turning his head slightly to see the Grandmaster from the corner of his eye.

"Train hard and grow strong. I expect you to bring many more victories to the Lin-Kuei, so you had best be prepared in seven years to defend your title in Mortal Kombat!"

Naruto grinned viciously behind his metal facemask, almost matching the demonic fox grin etched into the black metal as he continued on to where his grandfather waited.

'I will bring honour to the Lin-Kuei, but seven years is too long.'

His hidden grin grew wider as electricity sparked briefly from his piercing blue eyes.

'I guess that means I will just have to gain the power of a god.'

And with a crack of thunder and flash of lightening, Naruto, Maelstrom of the Lin-Kuei disappeared from the world.

* * *

The Sandaime smiled as he looked at the group of three sitting before him. Raiden and Fujin looked the same as they had thirteen years ago, completely unchanged. Naruto however had grown into a fine young shinobi, if Sarutobi was any judge. Considering he had chosen and trained the Densetsu no Sannin, it was a safe bet that he was right in this matter.

The face mask was a little disturbing, but after it was explained that it was a tradition of the Lin-Kuei ninja clan (a clan that Sarutobi had never heard of) that had trained Naruto, it was acceptable, though no less disturbing.

"It is good to see you again Naruto, I'm glad that you decided to come back after all these years. You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you."

Naruto nodded, his eyes sharp and focused.

"Yes, grandfather and Fujin-Sensei told me about my father and the agreement they made with you that night. I have come here to learn as he did, and surpass him, the man who could defeat the Lord of Makai."

Sarutobi was surprised. Most young ninja did not have such lofty goals, either wishing to learn more techniques and become stronger with no goal in mind, or seeking to perfect a specific aspect of their shinobi skills. Though there are the rare few who wanted to rise to positions of renown in the village, fewer still entertained dreams of grandeur such as becoming Hokage.

"I see. That is quite a difficult goal you have set for yourself. However, first you must take a test at the ninja academy in order to confirm you possess the skills required of a Konoha shinobi. You should probably get going now otherwise you will miss the test."

Naruto nodded in understanding before his body transformed into a black mist, quickly dissipating as though blown away by a non-existent wind.

"I have never seen a technique like that before."

"I think that you will be surprised by some of the things Naruto is capable of."

"Yes, after all, he is my Grandson."

Raiden and Fujin left shortly thereafter. It was time for Naruto to stand on his own, as a shinobi of the leaf, like his father before him.

If only they knew the chaos they were unleashing, Raiden would have recorded it for posterity.

* * *

"Welcome class. Today you will be taking the Genin exam, your first step to becoming proud shinobi of the leaf. For those of you who pass the examination, a Hitaiate will be awarded. Please enter the exam room once you hear your name called."

Iruka finished his speech and smiled proudly at the academy students seated before him. Just as he was about to wish them luck, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone opening the classroom door. Expecting to see a late student trying to sneak in unnoticed, Iruka was prepared to unleash a tongue lashing at the tardy pupil.

Rapidly turning to face the door, the young Chuunin already had his mouth half open to unleash a verbal lashing that would go down in history as the greatest source of fear for all academy students across the Elemental Countries.

"WHA… Who are you?"

Unfortunately it wasn't to be as the rather imposing young man currently standing in the doorway was by no means one of his students.

"My name is Naruto. The Hokage informed me that I am to be participating in the Genin exams today. I assume this is the right place."

The class watched on in interest as the newcomer moved over to a seat at the front of the room. Most of them were wondering who this stranger was, that he could take the Genin exam on orders from the Hokage himself, without ever having attended the academy.

'Damn, with those eyes and that outfit, he's kind of hot, but that mask makes him look scary,' thought Ino.

'Tch, mendokusai,' thought Shikamaru.

'He looks pretty strong, wonder if he'll be my friend?' thought Choji.

The rest of the class was entertaining similar thoughts, soon breaking out into quite muttering as people mused on the new guy. Naruto just sat there relaxed, feet up on the desk with his chair tilted and leaning on the back two legs.

'Wonder what kind of test they have for becoming a ninja here? Should be pretty easy compared to home.'

Flashback

Naruto stood silently in a dimly lit cavern deep beneath the earth, hundreds of candles scattered around nooks and crannies in the rough stone walls providing the only illumination. He, like the man before him, was dressed in the standard Lin-Kuei uniform, his own white in colour as opposed to the blue in which the man opposite him was garbed. Though his own face was uncovered, the man addressing him had the traditional mask of the Lin-Kuei covering the lower half of his face.

"Naruto, for five years you have trained amongst the most powerful of the Lin-Kuei. Since you were a mere four years old you have been pushed to your limits, and surpassed them. Now it is time for you to make a choice. If you feel you are ready, today you will be named as a true ninja of the Lin-Kuei clan. If not, it will be five years before you may make the attempt again."

The nine year old Naruto barely had to consider the words of Sub-Zero before his decision was made.

'If I don't take this test now, I might never be able to, since I have to leave once I'm thirteen, a full year before I'd be able to take the test again.'

"Hai Grandmaster. I am ready."

Sub-Zero smiled with pride beneath his mask as he nodded in approval of his student's decision. Without a further word passing between them the young Grandmaster turned and walked deeper into the cavern, Naruto following close behind. Shortly a huge black iron door inscribed with the symbol of the Lin-Kuei and covered in seals blocked their path.

Turning to face the child following him, Sub-Zero addressed the soon to be clan member.

"Enter here and know the depths of yourself, to find your true name. But be warned, some are unable to accept what they find herein or are unable to conquer themselves, leaving their bodies broken and minds shattered."

Behind him the huge and ancient doors swung outwards silently, revealing them to be over two feet thick as a thick white mist drifted out slowly, obscuring anything that lay beyond the entrance. His back facing the now open doors, arms crossed over his chest Sub-Zero payed it no mind as his ice blue eyes bore into Naruto, who stood unflinching as he met that hard stare with his own.

"Go now, I shall await your return."

Without a word Naruto walked past the still form of his mentor and entered the black mist, the doors swinging shut silently behind him, closing with a dull boom.

Sub-Zero stood still in the same position, awaiting his student's return.

'Naruto, I will wait as long as it takes for you to complete this test. You will not fail.'

End Flashback

Naruto was shaken out of his reminiscence as he heard his name called from the next room. Calmly standing he entered the exam room at a leisurely pace, senses alert.

"Alright Naruto, in order to pass the Genin exam all students must form two perfect Bunshin. You may begin whenever you are ready."

Naruto was surprised and slightly disappointed at this. Performing a single technique didn't seem like a good measure of a shinobi's skill.

'I guess if they have been going to the academy for a few years though the instructors would already know their levels,' mused Naruto as he responded.

"My apologies Iruka-Sensei, but I do not know how to create Bunshin."

Iruka looked annoyed that a cocky kid would waste his time by trying to take the exam without even knowing basic ninja techniques.

'But if that is true, why did the Hokage make special concessions to have him take the exam?'

It didn't matter, Iruka decided. Perhaps the Hokage was trying to teach the boy some humility by having him fail. In any case the rules were clear.

"I am sorry Naruto, if you are unable to perform the Bunshin no Jutsu than I have to fail you."

Mizuki, who had been silent through most of the previous examinations, spoke up in Naruto's defence, a look of commiseration on his face.

"Surely we can make an exception in this case? After all, he was nominated by the Hokage himself. Perhaps performing the Henge no Jutsu or Kawirami? We have even passed students on Taijutsu alone in the past."

Iruka just shook his head in annoyance.

"No Mizuki, you know that the only time that happens is under special circumstances such as last year's Rock Lee. As senior instructor, my decision stands."

Turning his attention back to the calmly waiting young before them, Iruka addressed him directly.

"I am sorry Naruto-San, but you fail this Genin exam. Perhaps you can try again next year."

Naruto nodded, not letting his disappointment show on his face whilst he turned and walked out of the room as the next student was called forward.

* * *

"Hey Naruto, shouldn't you be with your family?"

The young Lin-Kuei didn't react as the instructor Mizuki stood behind the spot he was using as a perch atop the academy roof.

"No, my Grandfather dropped me off in the village earlier today. There's no telling when I will next see him."

Mizuki hummed thoughtfully as he gazed at the boy sitting before him, right leg dangling over the edge of the roof with his left knee drawn up to his chest, his left forearm resting atop his knee as he observed the new Genins celebrating below.

'He has no family in the village; no one even knows who he is except the Hokage. He doesn't know anything about the ninja examinations or else he would have been able to perform the Bunshin, that much is obvious. His skills are much higher than a normal Genin or he would have been surprised I was behind him.'

Mizuki smiled deviously before addressing the youngster in front of him.

"Naruto, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but there is one other test that can be taken to gain the Genin rank."

Naruto turned his head slightly to look at the Chuunin from the corner of his eye, silently acknowledging his interest.

"It is a practical skill test. With the approval of a Chuunin or higher level instructor, a potential Genin candidate can take part in a mission style test where they have to complete a task within certain parameters," Mizuki continued once he noticed he had Naruto's attention.

"The test is much more difficult than the standard Genin exam and can be taken at any time, so it's usually only used when students are at a much higher level than their piers and need to receive early placing so as to not hold back their growth. Interested?"

Naruto thought about it for a few moments before turning back to observe the departing Genin below as he gave his reply.

"So, what is my mission?"

**

* * *

**

**Authors Notes**

Ok, to those who think it unrealistic for a 10 year old to win Mortal Kombat… you're right. But Naruto isn't just a 10 year old, he's the grandson of an elder god who remembers the beginning of creation, as well as possessing the spirit of the most powerful lord of Makai, not to mention that he was trained by two elder gods and raised as a ninja of the Lin-Kuei clan since the age of four. Add all of that together and he makes Kung Lao look like a pussy. Besides, it won't come up again any time soon….probably...maybe...at least till teh Chunnin exams...I think.

**Iruka:**

**Clan: Umino**

**Rank: Chuunin **

**Status: Inactive/Academy Instructor**

**Race: Human**

Stern teacher who does not stand for the breaking of rules, he is a harsh taskmaster. Having few friends he is fiercely loyal to those he terms "Precious People". He possesses no notable skills other than the ability to use a modified form of Henge known as the "Demon Head" which he uses to frighten disobedient children. As a teacher he has great talent, the last several classes of graduating Genin trainees being of a high quality thanks to his teaching.

**Mizuki:**

**Clan: None**

**Rank: Chuunin **

**Status: Inactive/Academy Instructor**

**Race: Human**

A deceptive individual who holds great hatred towards all others save himself. Though he desires power, he is unwilling to work for it, preferring to use guile and trickery to reach his ends and climb upon the backs of others to reach his goal. Though he is a subordinate of Umino Iruka, his fellow Chuunin instructor, he is an overall superior ninja in comparison. Mizuki favours oversized shuriken capable of slicing through trees used as a handheld buzz-saw during battle, or as a throwing weapon capable of cutting a man in half if thrown correctly. It should be noted that although Mizuki favours these weapons over others, he is not particularly skilled in their use.


	3. Team

Disclaimer: I own the intellectual property rights to the storyline involved herein but not any of the characters and only some of the concepts.

* * *

'So that was the Bunshin technique they were talking about. Pretty impressive. This must be the technique I need to learn to pass the test, since it is the Jutsu all Genins are judged on.'

After successfully sneaking into the Hokage's office undetected and escaping with the Forbidden Scroll, Naruto was currently trying to master the first technique, thus completing the requirements for his "mission."

Less than a half hour later he had the technique mastered, though he found it strange that hand seals were a part of the instructions as well as the necessary Chakra manipulation.

'That must make it easier for children to focus and shape the energy a certain way, getting them used to shaping and focusing the energy differently with each hand-sign.'

Unknowingly Naruto had struck on the exact purpose of hand seals when they were initially created, a purpose continued to this day. Curious as to what else the scroll contained, Naruto began to peruse the rest of its length.

'Bunshin Daibakuha no Jutsu, should remember that one for later, Karyu Endan no Jutsu, Kanashibari no Jutsu, Daibakufu no Jutsu, Meisaigakure no Jutsu, Doryuheki no Jutsu, Hachimon Kai… some interesting techniques, way more powerful than what I'm used to.'

That thought made him pause a little as he pondered the likelihood of the Hokage allowing such techniques, capable of levelling buildings, to come into the possession of an unknown teenager, son of the Yondaime or not. It just didn't seem very realistic when he thought about it and Naruto began to have doubts about the validity of this 'test' of Mizuki's. 'Speak of the devil, there he is now.'

"Naruto, good job. You got the scroll, now hand it over to me."

The look of suppressed greed on Mizuki's face was the last piece of the puzzle as far as Naruto was concerned. Carefully rolling up the scroll and securely binding it closed he approached the wayward sensei unhurriedly. The fact the Chuunin was dressed for combat was also a big giveaway.

"Sorry Mizuki, but I can't do that just yet. I need to show you my new technique first."

Impatience flashed briefly through the Chuunin's eyes before he pasted a smile across his face, deciding to humour the boy before killing him and taking the scroll.

"Alright then, show me what you've got."

Naruto grinned beneath his mask as lightening briefly flashed across his eyes, barely noticeable sparks playing across the surface of his eyes before dissipating.

"I will."

Naruto didn't give Mizuki time to do more than blink before he disappeared, his body twisting sideways in a cloud of black mist as he slipped into the Shadow Realm.

"What?!"

* * *

Naruto casually walked through the darkness of the Shadow Realm, observing as Mizuki frantically searched for some sign of where he would attack from, having picked up on the younger ninja's malicious intent. The Chuunin appeared to be moving in slow motion, each action taking a few moments longer than natural. The trees and grass swaying in the wind experienced the same effect, moving lazily and giving the entire scene a serene and dreamlike quality.

The Shadow Realm was an interesting place. It looked exactly the same as the normal world, people, trees and everything. But no light shone in that place, everything coated in a thick layer of shadows, colours dull and dark and sound muffled. Plants and minerals and various other objects were just as solid as in the real world, but people, animals and a lot of artificial objects were insubstantial. It could be difficult to tell what might be solid in the Shadow Realm at times.

Not that it really mattered, since everything within the Shadow Realm could be treated as solid or insubstantial if you had the necessary skill in the Shadow Arts. The greatest weakness with this technique however is that it requires large amounts of energy to even effect the smallest of objects in the normal world from within the Shadow Realm, even if they could affect you, not to mention the constant drain on Chakra experienced within the Shadow Realm.

'He doesn't look that skilled, but the techniques they use here are too powerful for me to take any chances…'

His decision being made Naruto stood directly behind Mizuki, waiting till he faced forwards completely before silently slipping down into the branch at his feet, a small ripple in the shadows the only sign of his passing.

* * *

'Where the hell is that gaki!? Is he using techniques from the scroll? Now I want it even more.'

Unseen by the slightly panicked Mizuki, Naruto rose from his shadow silently, arms crossed over his chest as he stared into the reflection of himself seen in the polished surface of Mizuki's oversized shuriken.

Now standing fully on the tree, a last few tendrils of shadow receded from his form, rippling slightly as though it were a pool of water at his feet; Naruto gave no warning as he struck out at the man before him.

With his right hand he lashed out in a vicious claw strike towards the base of Mizuki's neck. The Chuunin, danger senses screaming at him to move attempted to jump away, but it was too late. The claw hand blow struck with pinpoint accuracy and dug into his neck painfully from behind, his entire body snapping rigid for a split second as Naruto used one of the many secrets of the Nameless Arts upon his hapless victim.

In that single second when Mizuki's body was forced into rigidity Naruto lashed out with his left hand, using two fingers to strike five points at the base of the elder man's spine with great precision.

"Now Mizuki, I do not take kindly to people trying to kill me. traitors disgust me and I despise those pathetic worms who seek to gain power without making the sacrifices to earn their strength. You are all of these things."

Releasing his hold on the Chuunin's now limp body, Naruto struck with a spinning kick the centre of the man's back before he could fall more than an inch. A dull crack sounded through the forest as Mizuki was launched into the centre of the clearing, his now broken shuriken falling from its place on his back the only reason his spine was still intact, the other long having slipped from his limp fingers.

Mizuki grunted in pain as he struck the ground face first, his nose crunching as it broke from the impact and dirt filling his mouth even as the air was forced from his lungs due to the impact. Slowly, each movement feeling as though he was fighting his own body, Mizuki forced himself up onto hands and knees, blood dripping slowly from his bowed face.

"What-What the _gasp _hell did you _grunt _do to me?!"

From the corner of his eye the downed man saw Naruto circle around until he was directly in front of the traitorous nin.

"Nameless Arts: Phoenix Talon Strike. By using a claw strike to the back of the opponent's neck to apply forced pressure on four primary pressure points causes the body's muscles to lock temporarily. Nameless Arts: Nesting Woodpecker. By striking a series of nerve clusters the opponent's primary motor functions are inhibited, leaving them weak and unable to move. It's even difficult to breath, isn't it?"

Mizuki raised his head weakly to glare at his enemy, the gaze filled with hate and his face twisted into a look of loathing, blood pouring from his badly broken nose.

Naruto simply stood there, meeting the man's gaze coldly; his eyes twin chips of ice that could freeze the soul of those he looked upon. It was Mizuki who looked away first, fear stirring in his heart.

As such he never saw the kick flying towards his chin, snapping his panting mouth closed and forcing him to bite through his tongue as his body was lifted fully upright from the blow, his back arched as he was flipped more than three hundred and sixty degrees. If he were still able he would have landed on his feet, five metres from his starting point. Unfortunately he was unable to in his weakened state and even as his feet touched the ground and he began to collapse backwards, his momentum not yet spent, a palm struck his chest forcefully causing his head to snap forward as he felt ribs give way, blood and spit erupting from his mouth and eyes popping out of his skull as the air was forced from his lungs and he was once again sent flying backwards, his body bent around the point of impact.

A tree halted the Chuunin's momentum, Naruto appearing in front of the badly beaten man and holding him immobile against its trunk by the neck, preventing the traitor from falling.

"People like you, who would betray their comrades disgust me. You are pathetic. Let me give you some of the power you seek. For your crimes against this village, the Hokage and myself…DIE!"

With that a red energy erupted from his hand, completely covering the other man as he screamed and writhed in pain, his body twisting and contorting unnaturally within the red aura surrounding him.

Within moments Mizuki's skin bubbled and melted, muscles tearing and reforming as his body mutated hideously beneath the demonic Chakra. His eyes sank into his skull, one breaking open to leak white fluid down his face, the other shifting to his temple as the skin and bone stretched backwards and flesh burnt away to reveal muscle and jagged teeth erupting from the side of his face. The muscles on his torso grew uncontrollably, huge tumours and bulging veins covered his right arm as the left was reduced to jagged bones and writhing tentacles of flesh slicing itself apart in the sharp bones sticking outward from what was left of his skin. His legs bent backwards at the knee, blood covering them as they seemed to turn inside out and erupt in the growth thick hair from the new surface, one foot becoming hand like, as a monkey or ape whilst the other emaciated and turned pale white, black claws growing in place of toenails.

Chest, covered in huge malformed muscles, skin torn from their rapid growth was pierced on the left side by broken ribs, growing outwards and fusing together to form a jagged and distended cage away from the body. Beneath the skin and muscles his organs shifted and mutated into forms unrecognisable as human.

And through it all, Mizuki screamed into the sky, the sound changing from that of a man to something that could not be categorised as anything but inhuman, monstrous, before the force of his pain finally climaxed and his body could no longer sustain itself, blood erupting from his mouth in a geyser and the red aura faded from his body as Naruto released what was left of the Chuunin, barely recognisable by the half of his face that was left relatively intact and the tattered clothes he wore. Mizuki's body remained against the tree, his flesh having fused to the trunk and grown across its surface as though to escape the source of his agony.

"You sought power. Is this the power you seek? Are you satisfied? Fool."

Naruto calmly and coldly turned away, not a single drop of blood touching his form as he collected the Scroll of Forbidden Seals from its resting place beneath the tree Mizuki had occupied.

'Better get this back to Sandaime-san and explain myself.'

Leaving the area to head back to the Hokage Tower, a deep phantom voice could almost be heard upon Naruto's departure.

Fatality.

* * *

"So, Mizuki took advantage of your lack of knowledge to trick you into stealing the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. He then attempted to take the scroll from you and you figured out that it had been a trick, managing to incapacitate him. Was it really necessary to kill him in such a gruesome manner?"

Naruto just looked on as Sarutobi didn't really seem that disturbed by his actions.

Sandaime puffed his pipe thoughtfully as he let the events of the night sink in. whilst he might have had some suspicions as to the validity of a strangers claims, son of the Yondaime or not, the fact of the matter was very few people knew the location of the Forbidden Scroll. Mizuki himself should not have known but it was obvious that he had been preparing for some time. A raid on his apartment searching for evidence had discovered notes on guard locations and movements, as well as the security measures on the scroll itself.

"Hai, Sandaime-Ojii."

Sarutobi chuckled at the nickname. It had only taken a few hours before the young shinobi had taken to calling him such. It brought warmth to the man's ageing heart.

"Well then, defeating a Chuunin and retrieving the Scroll of Forbidden Seals would likely be a C-Rank mission, more than a rookie Genin would be asked to accomplish for quite some time."

With this said the Sandaime casually tossed Naruto a leaf Hitaiate.

"There is a meeting of new Genin tomorrow for team assignments at the academy."

Naruto smiled happily under his mask before turning to leave, forehead protector now firmly in place on his right bicep.

"Naruto, take this with you."

Sarutobi tossed a small scroll at the back of Naruto's head, the boy catching it without even looking.

"That has the basic techniques a Genin graduate is expected to know. I expect you should have them mastered before team assignments tomorrow."

"Thanks."

With that Naruto left to get settled in his new apartment and prepare for the beginning of his life as a Konoha Ninja.

'Where is this guy? Is he even coming?'

Naruto was more than a little annoyed at the tardiness of his new sensei. He had hoped to get this meeting over with and maybe get a few pointers on techniques he might need to learn to catch up to his team-mates, spending what was left of the day going over the scroll that the Sandaime had given him to make sure he could perform the basics at a moments notice.

Instead he was forced to wait in the empty classroom with the angst ridden pretty boy and his pink haired groupie. At least they were quite now. After the first hour of the girl's incessant fawning over the non-responsive loner he'd been about ready to turn her into ice just to shut her up. Unfortunately for the world at large God smiles on fools, drunkards and madmen, two of which applied to the girl with the wide forehead. As such she became silent at the same time he was gathering energy for an attack.

'Damn it!'

Three hours late the man finally arrived only sticking his head in the door long enough to say, "My first impression is… I hate you guys. Meet me on the roof."

"Introductions first. State your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, stuff like that. You, pinky, you're up first."

"Sensei, shouldn't you go first to show us how it's done?"

The masked Jounin gained a thoughtful look in his one visible eye before speaking.

"Well my name is Kakashi, I like… I dislike… I have a lot of hobbies. I don't feel like telling you my dreams. Now it's your turn."

Sakura was visibly annoyed that all they had learned was his name as Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile.

"My name is Sakura. I like (giggles looking at Sasuke). I dislike Ino-pig and people who make fun of my big forehead. My hobbies (glances at Sasuke before giggling once more). My dream for the future…"

Here she blushed furiously hiding her face in her hands as she squealed. Kakashi sighed mentally.

"Alright, now the broody one."

Sasuke sat perfectly still in the traditional Gendo™ evil conspirator pose, interlocked hands obscuring his lower face from view.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have few likes and many dislikes. My ambition is to kill a certain man and revive my clan"

Kakashi nodded absently before moving on to the last and most interesting member of the team.

"Your turn, metal mouth."

Naruto didn't visibly respond as his reply came, seemingly un-muffled by his facemask.

"My name is Naruto of the Lin-Kuei clan. I like my family, my clan and training. I dislike those who enjoy cruelty without reason, rapists and child abusers and traitors. My hobbies include meditation and training. My dream for the future…"

Here he paused, considering whether it was wise to tell them the truth or if he should make something up.

'A little truth and omission, the best lies are mostly true after all."

"My dream for the future is to increase in skill, knowledge, wisdom and power until I can equal or surpass my ancestors."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise as he thought over the answers his new pupils had given and the insights into their characters he had obtained.

'So we have one avenger, one fangirl and one mature and dedicated shinobi. Could be worse, at least one of them is worth my time. Let's see how they perform on the bell test tomorrow.'

Shaking himself from his musing Kakashi clapped his hands together to ensure he had everyone's attention.

"Alright, sounds like you three might have some potential but you aren't ninja yet. Meet me tomorrow at six am, training field seven, for your Genin exam. It will be a survival exercise so bring all your equipment."

Standing up from where he had been leaning against the roof's railing, Kakashi turned and prepared to leave before seeming to remember something.

"Oh yeah, you guys should probably skip breakfast tomorrow."

"Why is that Sensei?" asked Sakura, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Because you'll throw up," replied Kakashi happily with an eye-smile, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Author's Notes

**Nameless Arts: Phoenix Talon Strike**- By using a claw strike to the back of the opponent's neck to apply forced pressure on four primary pressure points causes the body's muscles to lock temporarily. Temporarily locks opponents muscles leaving them unable to move for three to five seconds at maximum. Strike must be made from behind with great precision and as such only works as a surprise attack.

**Nameless Arts: Nesting Woodpecker**-By rapidly striking a series of nerve clusters the opponent's primary motor functions are inhibited, leaving them weak and unable to move. Also causes a great sense of fatigue on the victim as breathing and other muscular movement becomes extremely strenuous.

**Sub-Zero Manipulation-The Basics**

Sub-Zero Manipulation is in effect the complete alteration of the body's energy from Chakra to Zero Energy. Zero Energy is in fact the energy form of energy reduction, an energy level below the state of no energy. To put it simply, energy-in particular, heat-is the movement of particles, sometimes in the form of a waveform/wavelength such as in the case of sound. Zero Energy, when utilised, can remove all energy from a target to create a specific effect. The more energy within the target (the more that particles move around) the more Zero Energy expended to remove that energy. As such all manipulations of Zero Energy result in temperatures far below zero degrees Celsius, hence the name Sub-Zero Manipulation. It is nearly impossible, however, to remove all energy from a target.

**

* * *

**

"Introductions first. State your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, stuff like that. You, pinky, you're up first."

"Sensei, shouldn't you go first to show us how it's done?"

The masked Jounin gained a thoughtful look in his one visible eye before speaking.

"Well my name is Kakashi, I like… I dislike… I have a lot of hobbies. I don't feel like telling you my dreams. Now it's your turn."

Sakura was visibly annoyed that all they had learned was his name as Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile.

"My name is Sakura. I like (giggles looking at Sasuke). I dislike Ino-pig and people who make fun of my big forehead. My hobbies (glances at Sasuke before giggling once more). My dream for the future…"

Here she blushed furiously hiding her face in her hands as she squealed. Kakashi sighed mentally.

"Alright, now the broody one."

Sasuke sat perfectly still in the traditional Gendo™ evil conspirator pose, steepled hands obscuring his lower face from view.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have few likes and many dislikes. My ambition is to kill a certain man and revive my clan."

Suddenly the boy jumped to his feet, a microphone appearing in his hand as his clothes were replaced by baggy pants and loose jacket with a hood up over his head, the bottom of it hanging to his thighs, white sneakers with the shoelaces untied peeking out under the edge of his voluminous jeans, he began to rap.

"To kill a certain man

Revive my clan

I must gain power greater than

My big bro Itachi-chan

And awaken the Sharingan

So I'll train with you

We be real close too

Best friends true

Till I take your lives

To gain Mangekyo eyes

Word."

With that he was back in his former position as though nothing had happened.

Kakashi just blinked a few times as the other Genin stared at the last Uchiha as though he had lost his mind.

"I think we'll need to improve your improvisation. You'll never beat Itachi in a Battle if that's the best you can come up with."

The rest of the team nodded sagely and proceeded to give Sasuke tips on how to improve.

'Just you wait brother, once I gain the Sharingan I'll copy your style and take your title of world's greatest rapper for my own! Then all the ho's will be throwin themselves at me. I'll be the top pimp in this town, tappin' all that ass till the clan is strong again. "

Somewhere far away a pale pasty white man with snakelike eyes and his monkey- I mean medic-wept at the loss of another girly-boy to heterosexuality, before firming their resolve to kidnap/liberate the poor soul and keep him at Neverla- ahem- Otogakure for training/brainwashing.

And all around the world, fangirls wept for joy at the Yaoi of it all.

* * *

P.S. I hate slash, Yaoi, male-male relationships and the vapid fangirls who write them. I also hate mary sues and the vapid fangirls who write them. I also hate those vampire fics that make bloodsucking corpses gay misunderstood bisexuals who are all about the sex and love and bishonin shit. Most of all though I hate the stories that take a character, put them in the "real world" or a normal situation without any of their special abilities or experiences that shaped that character, and create tome teen drama piece of shit olsen twins style piece of crap story that ends up with all chars ooc or in character but without the motivation that cause that in character-ness in the first place (for instance a cold heartless bastard uchiha on a power trip, who had a good life parents that loved them and gave them everything and are still alive and whose brother cares about them. And usually wants to fuck them up the ass!) and the people who write them….

So basically I hate fangirls. And the people who make romance fics where two people get together without natural emotional progression or growth that would cause a relationship to form.

So now that the rant is done, there may be romance in this fic later.

Ja Ne!


	4. Test

Disclaimer: Not mine, though if you like I can sell you --a nice bridge in San Francisco.

"Begin!"

It was nine thirty in the morning before Kakashi showed up. Even Naruto's patience was near the limit, though he hid it well. Sasuke and Sakura were both hidden in the surrounding trees, observing the man read his book. As for Naruto, he stood in the same position he had held since sunrise, back straight, feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed stance, arms casually folded across his chest as he examined the Jounin.

"You know, I think you're missing the point of this exercise."

No sooner had Kakashi finished speaking than Naruto exploded forward, a fierce Taijutsu battle ensued. Within the first few seconds of the assault Kakashi was forced to stow his book lest it be damaged. Backwards and forwards across the field they battled, even exchanging blows in mid air, suspended for several seconds at a time by the force of their blows and skilfully shifting their momentum.

After several minutes a brief respite occurred as Kakashi forced Naruto to back off with a complex combo, the blond bending backwards to avoid a high thrust kick that would have sent him high into the air before turning his backwards momentum into a flip to avoid the hand attempting to grasp his left foot. Barely half way through the flip Naruto was forced to twist in mid-air to avoid the axe hand from above and the roundhouse kick that followed, barely avoiding it as he hung upside-down. The force of the other knee slamming into his crossed arms as he still hung upside-down sent him flying.

Kakashi watched as the Genin gracefully twisted in the air to land in a crouch facing him, the force of the blow causing Naruto to slide backwards several metres.

'Where the hell did this kid learn Taijutsu? He's at least Tokubetsu level in skill, and I've never seen this style before.'

Standing up slowly Naruto fell into a relaxed ready stance, hands curled and hanging loosely at the wrists, right hand parallel to his shoulders near his centreline, covering his throat whilst his left was low in the centreline, covering his solar plexus.

Seeing the Genin waiting for him to attack, a devious thought entered Kakashi's perverted mind. In a flash he was crouched behind Naruto, his hands in the Tiger seal as though in preparation for a Katon Jutsu.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as his head whipped to the side to catch sight of the masked Jounin.

'That speed! I barely saw him move!'

"Looks like you've left your rear unguarded. Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ōugi: Sennen Goroshi!"

With that Kakashi thrust his hands forward in an attempt poke Naruto in the ass from behind. Moving as fast as he had ever before, Naruto used a spinning sidestep to avoid the attack, leaving an icy afterimage in his place. As soon as the Jounin's hands touched the sculpture it dissipated, revealing that it was merely a construct of energy rather than the solid ice-sculpture it appeared to be.

'Was that a Kawirami of some sort, or a Genjutsu?'

Kakashi wasn't given any time to ponder this as Naruto continued his spinning motion to lash out with a heel kick aimed to break the copy-nin's ribs. It wasn't until he tried to block this attack by grabbing the limb that he realised his hands were stuck together.

The brief moment of confusion and break in his co-ordination as his body attempted to do something it was currently incapable of was just enough for the blow to connect, knocking the air from Kakashi's lungs as he rolled with the force of the blow, taking the opportunity to put some distance between himself and his opponent before examining his hands.

"What the hell?" Kakashi muttered to himself as he took in the state of his hands.

From the tip of the Tiger seal to slightly past his wrists his hands were encased in a thin, hard layer of ice holding them in place as effectively as stone, a cold numbness pervading his hands that he had not noticed before.

"How do you like my Zero-Image technique? It's a little something the head of my clan taught me for slowing down an enemy."

Kakashi raised his eye in a lazy half lidded stare as he used his conveniently Tiger sealed hands to concentrate the chakra for a basic Katon Jutsu to thaw out his hands somewhat.

"Pretty impressive," said Kakashi as he flexed his hands slowly, attempting to get some blood flowing in the cold and stiff digits, "I'm surprised a Genin can use a technique like that, especially without seals. Is it some sort of Kekkei Genkai?"

"No, it is a technique anyone with the correct training can learn. I still haven't mastered it yet though. If I had, your entire body would have been turned to ice, the blood frozen in your veins. As it is, your hands are likely stiff and painful. Makes it a little hard to use Jutsu, eh Sensei?" Naruto replied with amusement clear in his voice.

Kakashi studied his potential subordinate carefully as he absorbed this new information.

'Could he have been waiting for me to try something like that just to make it harder for me to use Jutsu? Smart move, whether it was planned or just taking advantage of the situation, my Jutsu will be slower and less effective by at least sixty percent for the next half hour or so, my Taijutsu will be weakened as well. Maybe I shouldn't have told them to come at me with killer intent…'

Suddenly his body was pierced by a half dozen shuriken as Sasuke attempted a surprise attack from the trees.

From his new vantage point in the canopy of a nearby tree Kakashi watched as Sasuke fled from his position once he realised the Jounin had used Kawirami.

'Well, time to get back to work. Let's see how pinky does. First Lesson: Genjutsu'

* * *

'I can't believe that bastard tried to poke me in the ass!'

Naruto was pissed, moving through the forest like a ghost, blending with the shadows as he shifted smoothly through the undergrowth, occasionally taking to the canopy, his movements leaving no trace of his passing, silent and invisible as anything more than another shifting shadow amongst the trees to any but the most skilled observers, so great was his stealth.

'Alright, the fucking Cyclops is over that way, and the clearing where we met is that way, so…'

Concentrating on the task at hand, Naruto quickly set to turning the area between Kakashi's present location near the other two Genin and the meeting place into a gauntlet of traps composed of and hidden by the woods themselves. Screw the bells, if Kakashi wanted killer intent, Naruto would dance at his funeral.

'Try and poke _my_ ass motherfucker…'

* * *

'That was… kind of disappointing,' Kakashi thought mildly as he walked leisurely away from the clearing where he had recently faced off against the last of the Uchiha Clan, leaving the boy buried up to his neck underground and fuming.

'With her academy scores, Sakura should have been able to pick up a simple Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu and dispel it easily. The level of Kunoichi is really going downhill, if she was the best in her class.'

Flipping a page in his book, the cyclopic Jounin giggled perversely at the full page artwork of his Hentai Manga before continuing his thought process.

'Sasuke has a lot of potential though, low Chuunin level chakra capacity at least, good analytical and tactical thinking, a good grasp of the Uchiha Taijutsu style and he will definitely be a Ninjutsu specialist if that Goukakyuu no Jutsu is any indication. Even if I don't pass this team maybe I should take him on as an apprentice…'

The Jounin's musing was cut short as he stepped lightly on a patch of grass and heard a twig crunch underfoot, causing him to pause a moment as his finely honed senses screamed for him to move at the out of place sound. As a high ranking shinobi it was subconscious for him to tread softly and silently, especially after his time spent in Anbu, so hearing such a noise set off his danger sense instantly.

It's lucky it did as well since shortly after jumping to the right the space he had previously occupied was filled with a dozen sharpened wooden stakes.

Kakashi didn't have long to examine this however, as soon as his feet touched down on the branch he had aimed for it collapsed beneath his weight, leaving him off balance as he began to freefall. Reorienting himself his single eye widened in shock as he quickly used Kawirami to avoid the stake filled pit in the bushes beneath him.

Taking a moment to catch his breath and stow his book, Kakashi set to examining the situation from his new location amongst the upper canopy of the forest.

'Those traps were way above Genin level, closer to what I would expect from a Jounin trying to conserve their ninja tools. The only one who had time to set these up was…'

His thoughts were interrupted yet again as his weight on the branch finally set off the time release on the next trap, a thick tree branch striking him from his blindside and acting as a catapult, sending him careening toward the ground face first. Grabbing a hold of another branch as he sailed past, the copy-nin was barely able to avoid a large log swinging like a battering ram directly at him as he hung from the tree one handed. Thinking quickly, Kakashi decided the ground was far safer than the trees, judging by the fact that every branch he touched seemed to set off some trap.

Looking up from his place within a small dip in the land between several trees, Kakashi idle pulled out his Icha- Icha Paradise as the branch he dropped from was turned to splinters from the collision of the log. Opening to the last page he had read, the chronically late one-eyed pervert student of the Yondaime Hokage hadn't travelled three steps before the sound of groaning wood filled his ears.

With a sigh the Jounin tucked away his book once more, lamenting over the loss of his reading time before turning to the source of the sound, his mouth dropping open as he saw the trees surrounding the small dip in the earth where he stood falling towards him, the jagged stumps of several branches threatening to skewer him, if the trunks didn't crush him at least.

'Yep, definitely shouldn't have told them to come at me with killer intent. Note to self: don't piss off Naruto. Maybe I should apologise for trying to use Sennen Goroshi on him…' Kakashi thought nervously as he prepared himself to risk life and limb to get back to training field seven.

* * *

The Hokage's office was quite as the old man finished signing the last few pieces of paperwork for the day before moving on to address the three Jounin standing before him. Taking a moment to light his pipe and take a few puffs before speaking.

"Report."

The first to step forward was Yuuhi Kurenai, one of the youngest Jounin kunoichi in the village and a talented Genjutsu mistress.

"Team Eight, pass. Aburame Shino has established himself as team tactician, his logical mind well suited to the role. Inuzuka Kiba is brash and immature but powerful for his age. Hyuuga Hinata shows great promise but lacks confidence. I think that given time to grow together they could become a formidable team."

With that the red eyed kunoichi stepped back into place as the next in line stepped forward.

"I, Sarutobi Asuma pass Team Ten and accept the responsibility of becoming their Jounin sensei. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio of this generation should be interesting."

The son of the Sandaime then resumed his place in line, a cigarette hanging limply from between his lips.

"Hatake Kakashi, Jounin-sensei of Team Seven. My team… pass."

The rest of the room was shocked as the lazy (and rather dishevelled) Jounin drawled out his approval.

"Finally passed a team, eh Kakashi? These gaki must be something else."

Suddenly a green blur streaked towards a point to the left of the Icha-Icha Paradise reading scarecrow, resolving itself into the form of the jumpsuit clad Maito Gai.

"So it's true, my hip rival has taken on his own Youthful students! But Kakashi-san, my Flames of Youth burn brighter than ever! I shall be a superior sensei and defeat you, my Eternal rival! If I fail, I will run five hundred times around Konoha with a boulder on my back!"

Kakashi glanced lazily at the new arrival before returning to his book.

"Hmm? You say something?"

Gai wept.

"Ooh, so hip!"

The Sandaime coughed lightly to regain everyone's attention.

"Kakashi, please continue."

With a nod the copy-nin did as asked, his eyes never leaving his book as he spoke in a lazy drawl.

"Uchiha Sasuke is definitely a genius, his skills in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu close to Chuunin level, he shows some potential. Haruno Sakura gives kunoichi a bad name, her skills are barely enough to pass the academy and her sole concern in life is Uchiha Sasuke. The only reason she is a Genin is because of her book smarts. Naruto… is unusual."

"How so?" asked the senior Sarutobi with curiosity.

Kakashi looked towards the ceiling a moment in thought before answering, his eyes drifting back to the orange book he loved as he did so.

"Naruto has the Taijutsu skills of a Tokubetsu Jounin, but lacks the speed and strength he should have at that level. He has Ninjutsu techniques I've never seen before and more Chakra then everyone in this room combined but he doesn't seem to know the simplest of Jutsu such as Kawirami or Shunshin. He lacks weapon skills but in stealth and traps he is good enough to elude even me. Oh yeah, he doesn't use hand-seals either."

While the rest of the room was once again in shock at this revelation the Hokage was thoughtful.

'Interesting. If Gai were willing to lend out some of his seal-weights and Kakashi to keep up the boy on Ninjutsu… all I need to do now is find someone to teach the boy Fuuinjutsu and he would be a truly worthy successor to his father.'

The third smiled as he dismissed the ninja in the room, wondering as he did where he had placed the Yondaime's family scroll. Ah well, it would turn up eventually.

* * *

A little over a month had passed since Team Seven began performing 'Missions.' They were really little more than chores that the villagers were either unable to complete themselves for one reason or another-or things the villagers were too lazy to do themselves.

'I'm sick of this, I've been doing assassinations, protecting royalty and breaking into secure installations for four years and now they want me to baby-sit some damn toddlers or look for a stupid cat?! We haven't even been training thanks to that damn lazy sensei.'

Judging from his thoughts one could safely say that Naruto was annoyed with his current circumstances as Team Seven awaited their latest assignment, though it was impossible to discern by an outside observer.

"Let's see here… we have babysitting for the Noma family, capturing the cat belonging to the Daimyo's wife or mucking out the Inuzuka kennels. I think…"

Naruto had reached the limit of his patience, as had the rest of his team.

"Hokage-sama," interrupted Naruto, "we have been doing these chores for over a month now. I request a higher level mission."

The Hokage looked over the group before coming to a decision.

"Kakashi, do you think your team is ready for a higher rank mission?" he asked.

"Hai," the copy-nin replied negligently.

"Very well," said the Hokage, "Team Seven will be assigned to the C-Rank mission of escorting the bridge builder Tazuna to wave country. Send in the client."

The door to the briefing room slid open to admit a middle aged man, Sake bottle in hand and obviously drunk.

"So you punks are gonna protect me? Che, you might as well kill me now to save the trouble later. And what the hell is with the facemask kid? You so ugly ya gotta wear that mask to get the ladies? Hahahahaha."

Kakashi decided to interrupt before Naruto did something that would cause the Jounin more paperwork, though the boy seemed surprisingly calm in the face of the insult... on second thought he shouldn't have really expected any reaction at all.

"Team Seven will be escorting you. They may be only Genin but I'm a Jounin so we should be able to handle anything we come across in a C-Rank mission."

Turning his attention to his waiting team the copy-nin continued.

"Meet outside the East Gate in an hour; make sure you bring enough supplies for a month. Dismissed."

With that the number one fan of Icha-Icha Paradise disappeared in a puff of smoke, Team Seven moving casually past the mumbling form of the bridge builder. No one noticed as Naruto gently touched the base of the Sake bottle in Tazuna's hand whilst moving past the drunken man.

"Damn gaki's and stupid sensei, a whole hour I have ta lug this stuff…"

The man's mumbling trailed of incoherently as he raised his Sake bottle to his lips, taking a large gulp of the liquid… before spitting it out with disgust.

"WHAT THE HELL?! I hate cold Sake! But I coulda sworn this was warm a minute ago…"

* * *

Author's Notes

**Zero-Image**

This technique creates an after-image effect that appears as an ice sculpture in the form of the user. When an opponent comes into contact with the image the construct collapses, channelling the energy through their body and freezing them solid, their blood turned to ice. Requires a high level of mastery in Sub-Zero manipulation as the image is created around the user in order to conform to their image and they then must step out of the technique before it is collapsed by the enemy, all in less than a second. If a single part of the technique is miss-timed or performed incorrectly, the user may find themselves falling victim to their own technique, becoming an ice sculpture themselves.

(Like the ice clone from Mortal Kombat. I can't call it a clone because it isn't a clone in the Naruto-verse sense and is more like an afterimage. Naruto knows this technique but doesn't have the same level of proficiency as Sub-Zero…yet.)

**Chakra Natures and the Nature of Chakra**

Chakra is closely related in basic form to both a muscle and spirit energy, both which can be trained to grow stronger or more abundant or behave in a particular way. Similarly Chakra, through repeated use in a certain way, can be trained to perform specific actions more easily-much like muscle memory-and all uses of Chakra cause the Chakra reserves to grow larger and more potent. Like those who have a great deal of strength, those who have a great deal of Chakra must be careful how much of it they use lest they unintentionally harm themselves or others.

Chakra Natures are an application of the "muscle memory" of Chakra. Through repeated use of certain techniques, such as creating fire with Katon Jutsu or wind with Fuuton Jutsu, Chakra will more easily be able to change itself to cause these effects. So, as a person uses certain types of techniques more often either from personal preference or necessity, techniques of a similar nature/element become easier to perform and require less concentration and energy on the part of the user.

This does not mean that people without training do not have a Chakra Nature of their own however, as it can be passed down through family lines in the same manner as physical characteristics. For example, if a person's father had a Fire element Chakra Nature it is more likely that they will have the same at the moment of birth. This is especially apparent in the Uchiha clan who have a strong propensity for Fire natured Chakra. Once a person has a particular Chakra nature/element they have it for life, even if they do not use it. However, like muscle memory can be trained for multiple actions so too can Chakra be trained for multiple Natures.

As varying levels of muscle memory exist, so too do varying level of Chakra Natures, such that though two people might have the same element Chakra Nature, they will not have the same ability for Katon Jutsu, for instance, though practice and training can improve that ability. So practice hard and you may one day be a master of Element Manipulation through Chakra Natures.

**P.S. I hate the ass poke known as Sennen Goroshi. And ass poking in general. Ass poking is WRONG! Don't poke the ass! Motherfucker!**


	5. Wave

'Ok let's see, what do I need for a mission like this?'

Naruto examined the contents of his apartment carefully. The single room abode was located beneath a small bridge in the south-east section of Konoha, the cool clear waters of the river separated from his door by a scant metre of walkway. Naruto's home was small, consisting of only one room which combined sleeping area, kitchen and dining into one main area, a small bathroom and closet near the sleeping area completing the Spartan dwelling.

To Naruto the apartment was nothing special, his time under his various Sensei taking him through many extremes in living quarters, from ledges within the cobalt mines of Outworld, to the opulent suites within the palaces of Edenia, to the pits of Hell itself and even the oft sought final resting place of righteous souls and abode of the Gods, the Heavenly Realms. Naruto had at one time or another lived in all of these places and more besides.

As a consequence of this upbringing the young Ninja was more than capable of living in any kind of environment and as such, apartment, tree or cave, it didn't matter to him the place he lay down to rest, equally at home in each.

As of this moment however Naruto was focused on the most important aspect of any location where warriors lived for extended periods. The weapon and equipment stash.

The entire stretch of floorboards between the Genin's futon and wardrobe was currently uprooted; the slats of the floor held together forming a roughly six foot long and four foot wide trap door indistinguishable from the surrounding floor once closed.

Within the cavity a variety of weapons and tools could be found meticulously arranged. Kunai and shuriken in the hundreds, spools of ninja wire, scrolls, explosive tags, flash bangs, smoke pellets, soldier pills, Tonfa, Sai, Katana, Nodachi, Kama, Ninjato, long bladed daggers, Kozuka, razor sharp monk hats, some spears and bladed staffs as well as a few other odds and ends. It was a testimony to Naruto's organisational skills that every piece of equipment was neatly stored in its own space, everything in immaculate condition.

'Let's see, twenty shuriken and kunai, two decks of razor cards, some ninja wire, ten explosive tags, two flash bangs and a katana should be enough weaponry.'

Grabbing each of the items as he thought on what else to take on the mission, one by one each piece of equipment disappeared into Naruto's blood red coat or beneath his clothes, leaving Naruto apparently unarmed, no sign of any weapons remaining on his person other than the katana strapped across his back.

Thinking over the long trip ahead, Naruto added a few scrolls into his pockets, as well as three small leather notebooks.

'I should add some more to those manacles as well…'

**Flashback**

It was only a week since Naruto had come to Konoha and already he was beginning to get restless. There was just something about the villagers and the way they looked at him that set his senses tingling and put him on edge. It wasn't quite killer intent, the closest Naruto could get to defining the emotion was indifferent hatred, which was somewhat a contradiction of terms.

So the newly appointed Genin decided to go out to the training fields as often as possible and train himself to his limits attempting to master his various skills and techniques.

As he passed by training field eleven Naruto heard the sound of two people shouting at the top of their lungs, the topic of conversation inevitably drawing his attention.

"Lee, my youthful student, it is time to increase your training! Today we increase your weights to TWO TONS EACH! YOSH!"

"Hai Gai-sensei! Then I shall run ten laps around Konoha to celebrate!"

Naruto blinked in surprise as he came upon the green jumpsuit wearing duo, his first reaction to simply turn around and walk away, forget he heard anything and continue his original aim of training for the rest of the day.

'But if that these two are serious about those weights I can definitely pick up some training tips.'

Mind made up, Naruto continued on into the clearing as he announced his presence.

"Hey, I was just passing by and I heard you two shouting. You mind if I train with you for a while?"

The remainder of the day was spent in en extremely rigorous training regime that left Naruto with pain all over his body, every muscle group worked to the limit repeatedly. He was almost certain that his strength and speed after today would have doubled! He could only imagine the strength and speed of the two he had trained alongside as each of them was wearing a massive amount of weight to push themselves farther, and they didn't even seem anywhere near as tired as he felt.

"YOSH! Thus ends another beautiful day in the Springtime of Youth!"

Maito Gai looked over at Naruto in consideration as Rock Lee cheered at accomplishing another days training. Nodding to himself the elder of the two bowl-cut super eyebrow endowed ninja spoke with confidence.

"Naruto-san, your Taijutsu skills are very good but you lack strength and speed. With your skills you should be much faster and far stronger than you are now. Has your Sensei given you a training regime to improve these weaknesses?"

Naruto was surprised at the suddenly serious demeanour of the Jounin-sensei, having spent the whole day with the duo he was beginning to believe they were incapable of being calm and serious. Obviously they were more observant than they appeared, at least where Taijutsu was concerned.

"No, Kakashi-sensei hasn't given us any training yet. I've just been training to improve on the skills I learned from my family in the mean time; though I think today has been more beneficial to me than the last week of training put together."

Gai gained a certain glint to his eye upon hearing that, a small smile alighting on his face.

"You are the student of my Eternal Rival Kakashi! In that case it is my duty as the premier Taijutsu specialist of Konohagakure no Saito to aid you in your training as much as possible! Yosh!"

**End Flashback**

From then onwards every day from four a.m. till team meetings and from four p.m. till eight (or when there were no other tasks to demand their attention-the entire day) was spent training with the Beasts of Konoha, a fitting name given their monstrous strength and speed. On the second day Gai had brought Naruto some seal-weights and explained to him how they work and how to use them.

**Flashback**

Gai took out a seal scroll from within his Jounin vest and released the contents, placing the four metal bands that appeared on top of a tree stump as he called out to his two students, quickly gaining their attention from the kata they had been performing as they critiqued each other and compared notes to improve.

Once the Genin were standing in front of him, Gai began his explanation in a serious voice, though there was a slight smile on his face from the pair's attentiveness.

"Naruto, as we discussed yesterday your strength and speed are your major weaknesses. So in order to help you improve I am going to give you some of my own specially designed seal-weights similar to what Lee wears," said Gai, indicating the four metal bands resting on the stump.

Naruto was both excited and apprehensive, though it was difficult to tell thanks to his control over his emotions and the mask covering the lower half of his face. Lee on the other hand looked a little confused.

"But Gai-sensei, these don't look anything like my weights. And why are there four?"

Gai gave a full beaming smile at that, sending a thumb's up and a wink to his protégé.

"Good question my beautiful subordinate! The answer is simple. Lee's weights are for increasing his leg strength and speed because the Goken style I have taught him uses strong kicks as the primary attack. The Goken is also a style that focuses on dodging enemy attacks rather than blocking and striking attacks rather than grapples, so it is more important for this passive training to concentrate on Lee's speed and let the active training he does take care of his upper body for now. Once I believe him ready he will begin the next stage of this training and then he will begin a different training regime. Naruto on the other hand uses a completely different style that favours grappling as well as more subtle manoeuvres than the Goken and require a less targeted muscular development, in addition to which I won't be able to help assist Naruto at all stages of his training the way I can with Lee."

Lee smiled and nodded happily as he wrote down every word into his notebook, Naruto simply nodding once as he again reminded himself that despite their appearance, these two knew Taijutsu training inside and out, so it was best to listen to anything they had to say.

"These here are seal-weights," Gai continued after a short pause, once again indicating the four, one inch wide metal bands.

"Each band is inscribed with seals just like Lee's. These seals are a special design that was created by the Yondaime Hokage himself with the assistance of Jiraiya-sama. The most common use of seals is as a storage space to keep an object of some sort. These work on the same principle, however, where the average seal array for storing items also removes the weight of the object since gravity is no longer in effect on the object when it is sealed, these weights amplify the effect of gravity on what is sealed inside of them by two times normal gravity."

Naruto's eyes bugged out at that as the sheer complexity and ingenuity of designing a seal like that for training purposes hit him. With the small amount of information he had read on sealing from the scroll Sandaime had given him containing basic techniques, Naruto knew that designing any type of seal array was a complex task and all had some form of limitation to their capacity.

'To design a seal like that, father really was a genius seal master. To increase the external force of gravity within the seal and have the total weight effect the container of the seal as well… incredible.'

Gai continued his speech uninterrupted as Naruto came to terms with this revelation.

"Because of the stress put upon the container for the seal, it has to be placed on a strong substance, otherwise the weight will exceed the containers capacity and the strain will cause the seal to collapse. That is why Lee and I use multiple weights attached to our legs instead of just bracelets like these; in addition the way the straps are made with reinforcing seals allows them to be used as a powerful weapon."

Lee perked up at this piece of information as he had not been told that before, still scribbling down every word within his notebook.

"Gai sensei, how come you never mentioned that before?"

Gai's teeth pinged as his smile turned into a grin.

"Because it was a surprise for later when we reached the pinnacle of your Taijutsu training! Yosh!"

Lee smiled happily as he hopped from foot to foot in excitement, his mind awash with thoughts of training.

"So Naruto, to seal something within these weights you must use the seals that follow; Ox, Ram, Tiger, Dragon, Ox, inverted Ram. Currently they each weigh two kilos with the seals empty. Get used to this weight for now and add more when you feel you are ready."

Naruto nodded in understanding and he snapped the manacles in place on his arms and legs, getting used to the feel of the seamless metal bands in addition to his bracers.

"And now in celebration of Naruto's first set of weights, let us do five hundred one handed handstand push-ups!"

"Hai Gai-sensei! And if I cannot do that I will do five hundred squats with a boulder strapped to my back!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Naruto shook his head as he began doing one handed handstand push-ups, his coat hanging un-naturally straight up against the force of gravity.

**End flashback**

His decision made Naruto formed the necessary seals and added some small bar weights to each manacle before continuing his preparations.

'That extra weight makes it about twenty kilos on each limb, if the mission runs too long I'll have to use kunai to increase the weight or buy some more metal weights in Wave.'

Looking out the window to judge the time he realised he would have to leave shortly if he was to make it to the meeting place on time. Strapping a pair of long bladed daggers to the base of his spine and grabbing a small pack filled with rations, Naruto was about to close the trap door and go to the East Gate when a thought occurred to him.

'It's been pretty sunny the last few weeks, and it hasn't rained at all. I think I'll take a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes.'

Grabbing one of the crimson monk hats from his cache, Naruto moved his Hitaiate to his right upper arm before placing the razor sharp hat atop his head. Closing his armoury Naruto was gone a moment later, looking forward to his first real mission as a Konoha ninja.

* * *

It was unbelievable! Kakashi was actually on time for once. It was such a shock to Sakura that she attacked the Jounin, believing him to be an impostor. Needless to say, Tazuna was not very confident in the team's abilities. The group of five had been travelling in silence for several hours, Tazuna leading the way with Sakura slightly to his right and a few steps behind beside Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi trailing the rear and looking badass as one read Icha-Icha Paradise whilst the other flipped through a small leather notebook, the two mirror images of one another with their head tilted forward slightly, one hand in their pocket and flipping through their books one handed, Naruto's hat just obscuring his eyes from view.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, does Nami no Kuni have a ninja village?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm? No, Wave country is on a small series of islands, separated and protected by the sea. With the water barrier protecting them on all sides they have no need for a hidden village, though Mizu no Kuni is on a larger island to the east." Kakashi replied lazily, his single eye never leaving his book.

"So what countries do have hidden villages Kakashi-sensei?"

This question was voiced by Naruto, casually flipping a page of his book with his thumb as he continued to read, Kakashi following his example a moment later as he replied.

"Well, since you haven't learnt this stuff from the academy, and you asked so nicely.

"There are five great elemental nations each with a hidden village, Konohagakure in Hi no Kuni, Kumogakure in Kaminari no Kuni, Iwagakure in Tsuchi no Kuni, Kirigakure in Mizu no Kuni and Sunagakure in Kaze no Kuni. Those five each have a Kage, in order, Hokage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, Mizukage and Kazekage. There are others, but those five villages are the largest and most powerful, with Konoha at the top. The other hidden villages are located in minor countries that serve as barriers between the five elemental countries."

Naruto continued reading as his mind absorbed the new information from his sensei.

A short while later Tazuna and Sakura began chatting about something unimportant, Naruto ignoring the sound of the drunkard and banshee fangirl in favour of reading his book.

Seeing a glimmer of reflected light ahead, Naruto peeked one eye from beneath his hat to get a better look.

'Two puddles of water on the side of the road? How stupid do you have to be to use that disguise during this weather?'

Cutting his eyes to the side Naruto looked at his sensei from the corner of his eye. The Jounin returned his gaze and replied to the unasked question with a barely perceptible shake of the head.

No sooner had the group passed the puddles than two shinobi with slashes through their Hitaiate appeared from the illusion, a spiked chain stretched between the two, attached to clawed metal gauntlets covered in a thick purple fluid, poison.

In less than a second the two had moved in and trapped the two rearmost members of the group within the loops of their chain.

"Two down."

The words came in an eerie and malicious stereo, muffled by the re-breathers worn by the two aggressors. With a sharp yank of the chain blood and gore was sent flying as the two former ninja were torn to shreds.

"Sensei, Naruto!" Sakura screamed in horror, frozen in place by fear as the Chuunin charged towards her, ignoring the threat of Sasuke who stood off to the side and prepared to attack.

That was all the prompting Naruto needed as he saw the line of attack the two threats were taking and quickly interposed himself between them and their target. At the same time, Sasuke released a shuriken and kunai, using them to pin the chain to a tree and allowing him to land a split kick to the heads of the temporarily immobilised Chuunin.

The two nin simply released the chain, seemingly unfazed by the blows as they once again ignored Sasuke and headed towards Naruto. Naruto stood unmoving, his hat obscuring his eyes from sight as the taller of the two enemy struck out with his clawed gauntlet, aiming to tear out the Gennin's throat.

Just as the blow was about to connect, Naruto's head lifted slightly, his eyes meeting those of the man intending to end his life for only an instant.

What happened next was little more than a blur of motion.

With the poisoned claw merely a centimetre from his neck, Naruto reacted. A slight shift of his feet and tilt of the head made it seem as though he had teleported out of the way of the incoming blow. The attacking Chuunin, now overextended by mere centimetres stood no chance as Naruto grabbed his arm at the wrist and the back of the elbow. A sharp twist and his elbow was shattered, his balance lost as the arm was used as leverage to turn his body sideways. The chuunin, blinded by pain and attempting to regain his balance never saw the rookie Genin unsheathe the sword across his back, nor did he feel the blade enter his body in six precise blows. Naruto danced around the nukenin's still falling body in a blur of motion, his blade flicking out to strike blows that would disable but not kill with pinpoint precision.

By the time he hit the ground the enemy Chuunin was a bloody and unconscious mess.

The sound of clapping caught the attention of those on the road. Turning towards the sound Sakura, Tazuna and Sasuke were surprised to see Kakashi leaning against a tree, the second nin tied tightly to its trunk with ninja-wire.

"Well done you three. Naruto, you noticed the ambush straight away and used that to your advantage, though you wasted the chance at a surprise attack by moving too early. Sasuke, you did well by moving to separate the two of them and used their primary weapon against them, though you need to work on Taijutsu some more as you had the chance to do some damage while they were immobilised but used the wrong sort of attack. And Sakura, you moved to protect the client instinctively and stood your ground to protect him if one of the enemy got past Naruto or Sasuke. Good job."

Kakashi was grinning with pride at the performance of his students. Sakura blushed slightly at the praise. Sasuke grunted with a self satisfied and superior smirk on his face and Naruto simply sheathed his blade after insuring it was clean of blood.

After ensuring both nukenin were tied to the tree, Kakashi identified them as the Onikyodai, the Demon Brothers of Kirigakure. Turning his now hard gaze onto their client, the voice belonging to the sensei of team seven was uncharacteristically cold.

"So Tazuna, why is it that on this C-Rank mission we are encountering shinobi trying to kill you? With shinobi involved this mission should be at least B-Rank. Lying about the circumstances of a mission is a breach of contract, we should leave you here and head back to Konoha."

"You are right, and you have every right to abandon me to my fate," Tazuna sighed. "Once, Nami no Kuni was a great trade country with a booming economy. Until Gato, shipping magnate of the Gato Corporation moved in. Using illegal dealings and ruthless business tactics he quickly took over the shipping lanes. By controlling the shipping industry he was able to charge super high prices and destroy the economy. Now, even our Daimyo is poor, it took all we had to even hire ninja for a C-Rank mission. That is why the bridge is super important; it is our chance to break free from Gato's control. But if you don't want to help, I'll understand. My daughter will just live a super harsh life and cry forever and my grandson will grow up to hate Konoha. But I will forgive you when I die."

Naruto chuckled a bit at the fake sob story, the noise drawing the attention of the rest of the party.

"I like you old man. You have courage. Lets go, we're wasting daylight."

"Naruto, this isn't just your decision to make. This affects the entire team. Don't you think Sasuke and Sakura should get a choice as well?" Kakashi asked with a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Naruto shrugged as he took out his notebook and began reading again as he continued to walk down the road.

"We are outside mission parameters but… in the end it is up to the individual to decide their path through life. Will you stand and fight or will you flee from danger. Do you take lives or do you save them." Naruto paused as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at the stationary members of team seven and Tazuna, his cloak rippling slightly in the breeze.

"Whatever you decide, my path is set. I have made my choice."

With that the mysterious Genin resumed walking without waiting to see their reaction.

"Hmph," Sasuke grunted, his eyes shining in anticipation of challenge as he began to walk after his team-mate. It was a few moments before Sakura had realised her crush was walking away.

"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" she called, jogging to catch up to the object of her obsession.

"That boy, no, that man is one super cool guy." Tazuna's voice was filled with awe and a large smile split his face as he spoke his thoughts aloud without realising, his gaze fixed on the retreating form clad in crimson leather jacket and monks hat moving down the road ahead.

"Yeah, Naruto is really something else," agreed Kakashi, his eye crinkling as he once again smiled in pride at the back of his students.

Shaken out of his reverie by the unexpected reply, Tazuna laughed well naturedly.

"We better get going before they leave us behind, eh ninja-san?"

Soon the group of travellers was once again on their way, to Nami no Kuni and a battle for the ages in which hangs the balance of a nations hope.

'This should be interesting,' Naruto smirked, idly flipping through his book as he continued down the path towards his future.

* * *

Author's notes

That fight scene took me ages to write for some reason. It just wouldn't flow properly. Tell me what you think.

**Tazuna:**

**Clan: None**

**Occupation: Bridge Builder **

**Status: Old Drunkard**

**Race: Human**

A man who has great love for both his family and country, willing to give his life for what he believes in. Tazuna's greatest work is the bridge he desired to build between Nami no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Can almost always be found with a bottle of warm Sake on his person. Likes to use the word super a lot. Lives with daughter Tsunami and grandson Inari.

**Gozu:**

**Clan: Onikyodai**

**Rank: Chuunin **

**Status: Nukenin**

**Race: Human**

Gozu wears a large metal gauntlet on his right hand covered in poison. This, in addition to the spiked chain attached via his gauntlet to its mirror, worn by his brother Meizu, is his weapon of choice. Slightly taller than his brother, Gozu acts as the leader between the two as he is the eldest. He and his brother were both kicked out of Kirigakure due to killing civilians for fun. The Onikyodai are known for completing missions at any cost.

**Meizu:**

**Clan: Onikyodai**

**Rank: Chuunin **

**Status: Nukenin**

**Race: Human**

Meizu wears a large metal gauntlet on his left hand covered in poison. This, in addition to the spiked chain attached via his gauntlet to its mirror, worn by his brother Meizu, is his weapon of choice. Slightly shorter than his brother, Meizu tends to follow his older brother blindly. He and his brother were both kicked out of Kirigakure due to killing civilians for fun. The Onikyodai are known for completing missions at any cost.

* * *

**P.S. I really wanted to cover the battle with Zabuza this chap, and also reach 20,000 words, but this seemed a better place to end the chap. Also, is it just me or is Kakashi a real bastard? I mean, he copies Lee's speed and teaches it to Sasuke. He completely ignores Sakura, throws it back in Naruto's face he chooses Sasuke to train instead of Naruto, even though Naruto asks whilst Sasuke just expects it, even demands it. Criticises Jiraiya for teaching Naruto the Rasengan even though he had already long before taught Sasuke the Chidori. And finally, this is the real kicker, praises Sasuke for copying Lee's Kage-Buyo (even though it's fucking automatic thanks to the fucking sharingan!) and then is disappointed and indifferent when Naruto takes the same source of inspiration, combines it with an A-rank Kinjutsu to create a devastating attack that, let's face it, if he used it to full potential would be fatal! And Kakashi just says "he just copied it off Sasuke" fuck that guy is an asshole! Does he even care about his team with being late all the time? And he only ever trained them in wave and during the month before the Chuunin exams, most of which was for Sasuke's benefit! Seriously, he had no faith in Naruto or Sakura being able to face enemy nin within the week's timeframe and he only trained Sasuke for the exams.**

**Kakashi, though cool and badass, is also a fucking prick.**

**Ja ne. **


	6. Shinobigatana

The group continued walking in formation with Naruto in the lead, followed by Tazuna, flanked on either side by Sakura and Sasuke with Kakashi at the rear

The group continued walking in formation with Naruto in the lead, followed by Tazuna, flanked on either side by Sakura and Sasuke with Kakashi at the rear.

"Kakashi-sensei, a lot of powerful shinobi have nicknames right? Can you tell us about some of the most famous and powerful ones?"

It had been about an hour since the confrontation with the Onikyodai and conversation had dried up, the Genin and Tazuna on edge as they grew closer to the coast. Kakashi's occasional perverted giggles and the sounds of nature from the forest surrounding their path thankfully prevented an oppressive silence from taking hold.

"Well, the most powerful ninja are the Kage, or Kage-level shinobi. There aren't many famous ones though; most are only known by high level nin or high ranked individuals. Their skills are simply that good; few are able to learn anything about them."

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. "But sensei," she asked, "what about the Shodai and Nidaime? We learn all about them in the academy, and the Yondaime as well."

Kakashi turned a page in his book and giggled before replying, giving Naruto the opportunity to switch notebooks and grab a pen, jotting down notes as they travelled.

"That is because Shodai and Nidaime are very important to the history of Konoha, as is the Yondaime. Even so, very few details are given about their abilities to anyone, despite the fact they are long dead. There is even less information about ninja currently active."

"There must still be information about the most powerful nin, even if it is only rumour." This came, surprisingly, from the arrogant Sasuke, seemingly disinterested in the conversation.

Kakashi eye-smiled, a happy lilt in his voice as he continued his impromptu lesson.

"That's right," he replied, "that is how most shinobi learned about the Yondaime, from rumours of Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō and his description. Even so, most shinobi know nothing about his techniques or how the jutsu that earned him that nickname works or even how it was used. The most information you will find on any shinobi will be from the bingo books which usually only list threat levels and specializations of any individual."

This time it was Naruto who prompted the Jounin to continue with a pointed statement.

"You still haven't told us about the famous ones yet sensei, or their techniques."

Kakashi waved one hand in a placating manor.

"Gomen, I got a little distracted," he said cheerfully. A thoughtful look crossed his face for a moment before he continued.

"Hmm, since Konoha has most information on our own nin, I'll tell you a little about ones from other countries. Let's start with Suna, since they are currently our allies.

"Their most famous Kage would be the Sandaime Kazekage. He was also the most powerful. He was able to use his chakra to control magnetic forces and used the ability to manipulate Iron Sand, Satetsu. It's rumored he based the ability on a technique used by the Ichibi no Shukaku.

"The second most famous nin from Sunagakure is Akasuna no Sasori, the legendary puppet master. Using chakra strings with such control and precision he could manipulate over one hundred puppets simultaneously in battle. Currently Sasori is an S-class missing nin exiled for using a Kinjutsu to create puppets from human bodies that retain the abilities of who they were in life."

Sakura blanched at the thought of being turned into a puppet and dancing around in one of those little festival booths as an evil shadow loomed overhead pulling her strings.

"On the other side of Nami no Kuni is Mizu no Kuni, where Kirigakure is based. Their most powerful and famous nin are the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu. Seven shinobi swordsmen, each with a different specialty, all of them are Jounin level or higher. If you want to know more, check the Bingo book once we get back to Konoha."

"Wait a minute; you said something about all the Hokage except the Sandaime. You can't leave out the current Hokage like that, tell us something about him. I mean, he's so old he must have gotten some kind of reputation," Sakura said, her head cocked in curiosity and a thoughtful look on her face.

"Maa, you don't know? And I though you had the best test scores of your class," Kakashi teased playfully.

"The Sandaime is probably the most feared ninja alive. In his prime he was known as Shinobi no Kami, his other nickname being The Professor. He not only knows all the jutsu in Konoha, he has also mastered them to the point he can modify and combine them on the spot and knows the tactical advantages and disadvantages of any technique in a given situation. His three students are known as the Densetsu no Sannin, each one a Kage-level nin, and the Sandaime is a better ninja than all three and has survived two Great Ninja Wars. It's because of his presence that Konoha has become the strongest of the hidden villages."

"Wow," was all Sakura could say, a sentiment shared by the others of their little group. Who knew that kind old Sarutobi was so powerful?

Conversation petered out shortly thereafter as they arrived at the shore, a light mist rolling in off the sea obscuring their vision slightly. A silhouette of a man standing on a small canoe like boat coalesced from the deeper mist out to sea, slowly resolving into the form of the ferryman who would be serving as the party's transport to Wave, the gentle sound of waves lapping at the side of the small fishing trawler accompanied him as he coasted to shore.

"Yo Tazuna! Bout time you got here, you flea-bitten son of a deckhouse whore! I've been waiting half an hour."

Tazuna seemed unperturbed by the ferryman's coarse words and sour face, clapping him on the back in a friendly manner.

"Ha ha, quit complaining you old sea-dog, I know you love any excuse to get out onto the water and out from under the thumb of that wife of yours."

The "old sea-dog" grinned at that. Or maybe he grimaced, it was hard to tell from his weathered and age lined face. Looking at the Konoha-nin the man snorted derisively before turning back to the bridge builder.

"This what you went to Konoha for? A bunch o' diaper wearin' gaki? They're barely more'n a stain on their daddy's drawers and probly twice as useless!" the two old men laughed a bit at that, seeming to find the Genin's reactions hilarious.

Sakura's face went red with fury at the insult as she silently fumed, fists clenching and unclenching at her side, her eyebrow twitching sporadically.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance, his face twisting into a derisive sneer-or maybe he was just constipated?-before returning to his brooding.

Naruto tucked away his book and pen into the inner pocket of his coat and calmly stepped into the boat before addressing the two laughing men.

"A bunch of diaper wearing gaki to protect an old drunkard and his toothless and impotent ferryman? Seems about right. Especially with the two of you needing your own diapers."

Once the two men had stopped spluttering from outrage the group shoved off from the shore, quietly slipping into the mist and disappearing from view.

* * *

"Wow, I've never seen a bridge that big before!" Sakura gasped as the group passed within meters of the incomplete and unnamed bridge that would (once completed) join the land of wave to the mainland.

The rest of the group agreed, even Kakashi impressed at such a massive undertaking. Naruto didn't think it was anything special. Once you had seen monoliths that took lifetimes to build, feats of architecture that more resembled art than any building has a right to, a simple bridge (whatever the size) just doesn't compare.

What impressed Naruto was that Tazuna had been able to build the bridge despite the poor state of Nami no Kuni. It would have taken a great deal of work and sacrifice on behalf of all involved and it increased his respect for the people of the island exponentially.

"Keep it down," the ferryman (whose name no one seemed interested in, hence it hadn't come up) whispered harshly, "Gato's got boats patrolin' all over. If one of em' catches us we're done for."

A subdued hush fell over the boat as everyone stared ahead towards their destination. It was several minutes before the silence was once again broken by the gnarled old sailor.

"'Ere we are. I'll 'ave ta drop ya off in the mangroves. I can't risk takin' ya any farther than this," he said regretfully as the mist thinned ahead, revealing that the small boat had reached shore in a mangrove glade, just as the man said.

Tazuna smiled as he stepped out onto shore after his escort, giving the ferryman a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"It's alright old friend, you've done more than I should have asked from you. Thank you for bringing us this far."

The old man waved it off with a chuckle as he paddled his boat silently back into the mist, quickly disappearing from view.

"Anythin' ta get away from the missus!"

* * *

Half an hour later found Team Seven and their client walking quietly down a dirt road towards Tazuna's house. Everyone was on edge, the mist dampening sound and giving an eerie feeling of anticipation to the travellers. Kakashi had even tucked away his ever present book, though that could have been to avoid water damage from the moisture in the air.

The alert look in Naruto's eyes sharpened momentarily as he passed a bush several metres ahead of the rest of the group, the sound of metal imbedding itself in wood alerting the rest of the team to something amiss.

"What was that?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, his attention focused on the bush as he approached, kunai held in a defensive position, Sakura hovering at his back as though seeking his protection. Upon reaching the bush, the pair took a deep breath before moving aside the obscuring shrubbery.

'A rabbit?'

There, petrified in fear, sat a snow hare, a slim five inch long kunai-little more than a dart-embedded into the wood between it's ears, scant millimetres from its scalp.

"Oh you poor rabbit! Look what that nasty Naruto did you, he almost scared you to death," Sakura cooed sickeningly to the trembling bunny.

'That is a snow hare; it shouldn't have a white coat this time of year unless it has been raised indoors. It must have been trained for Kawirami. It looks like our next opponents are going to show themselves soon.'

Sharpening his focus to prepare for imminent attack, Kakashi tucked away the fact that he hadn't seen Naruto move, let alone throw the kunai. Not to mention the boy had sensed the hidden ninja when Kakashi himself hadn't.

The repetitive chopping whoosh of displaced air was the first indication they had of something amiss.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he dived forwards, dragging Sakura and Tazuna to the ground even as he shouted his warning.

"Get down!"

Sasuke reacted instinctively as he followed the Jounin's instructions just in time for a huge Zanbato to fly from the surrounding mist, barely missing the crouched figures as it passed through the area they had previously occupied.

Naruto, on the other hand, merely stared down the spinning blade impassively. As it grew closer to his position he calculated the timing before stepping directly into it's path, grabbing hold of the hilt and allowing it to drag him a few steps as he bled out the Zanbato's momentum, coming to a stop with the blade resting casually across his shoulders, the hilt held firm in his right hand.

"Hehehe. That's pretty impressive gaki. There aren't many who can even lift Kubikiri Houcho, let alone catch it."

The groups attention was drawn to the source of the voice casually standing with arms folded across his chest as he stood on one of the lower branches of a tree several metres ahead of them.

The figure was tall, taller than any in the party by several inches and dressed as a shinobi. Winter camouflage pants and arm warmers with standard shinobi sandals completed his atire, leaving his chest bare. His face and neck was covered in bandages up to the bridge of his nose, hiding his expression from view and serving as a form of mask similar to Kakashi's. Atop his head sat an off kilter Hitaiate bearing the symbol of Kirigakure with a solid slash bisecting it through the centre, marking him as a Nuke-nin. His grey skin gave him an almost death like appearance, as though he were a spirit returned to take vengeance upon the world.

"I see, you are Momochi Zabuza, Nuke-nin of Kirigakure no Saito."

Kakashi's voice was deceptively nonchalant as he stood from his crouched position, the others quickly following his lead as they scrambled to their feet.

"And you are the infamous Copycat Nin, Sharingan no Kakashi."

The two groups faced off silently before Zabuza chuckled, uncrossing his arms and letting them hang loosely.

"I'm afraid I have to kill the old man."

Tazuna began to sweat from the mild killing intent that leaked from the seemingly relaxed Nuke-nin.

"But I guess I'll have to kill you first."

* * *

Kakashi was completely focused upon his opponent as he reached one hand up to his Hitaiate and pushed it aside to reveal his Sharingan eye.

'How can he have the Sharingan? Is he an Uchiha?' Sasuke thought, his frustration and confusion making him agitated.

"Ah, the Sharingan, I feel flattered to see it so soon."

Zabuza seemed amused and reeked of anticipation for the upcoming battle.

"What is this 'Sharingan'?" Naruto asked Kakashi casually, still staring directly at Zabuza, his stance unchanged since catching the enemy nin's Zanbato.

It was Sasuke who answered.

"It is a Doujutsu that can see through all Gen, Nin and Tai Jutsu, also negating them. In addition it allows the user to copy an opponent's techniques instantly."

Zabuza chuckled.

"Exactly. Horrifying, don't you think? Now let us begin."

In an instant Zabuza blurred from his position in the tree to the surface of the nearby lake, standing atop the water with his hands in a broken ram seal, his left hand raised above his head whilst his right was held at chest height as he charged the water beneath his feet with chakra, water being kicked up into a spiral around his form from the force of the technique.

'What is he doing?'

Almost as soon as the question entered Kakashi's mind it was answered.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu."

A dense mist rose from the lake, quickly covering the area and reducing visibility. Zabuza's form seemed to disappear, fading from view as the mist thickened, a single leaf drifting down to the surface of the water where he had been standing.

"Sensei, who is he?" Sakura's hands trembled slightly from nerves as she spoke, kunai held defensively in a double handed grip as she and Sasuke fell into the defensive formation they were taught at the Academy, protecting Tazuna.

"His name is Momochi Zabuza, former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu. He specialises in silent killing. Make sure to watch each-other's backs in the mist."

The unusually serious response from their sensei caused Sakura to swallow thickly as she nervously watched the thickening mist, eyes darting from one side to another. Sasuke stood impassively, seemingly unmoved by the Jounin's warning.

'Finally, a true test of my strength!'

Naruto remained motionless; his head lowered slightly, his eyes obscured from view by his hat and Zabuza's sword draped casually over his shoulder still.

"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, sub-clavicle artery, kidney and heart."

The words echoed hauntingly in the mist, sending shivers of fear down the spine of Tazuna and his two protectors.

"So many points to choose from, how should I kill you? But first, I'll be taking back my sword gaki."

By now the mist had grown so dense that visibility was cut to no more than three feet in any direction, isolating Naruto and Kakashi from the rest of their group and each other as effectively as a brick wall.

In an instant Naruto became a whirl of motion, the stolen zanbato twirling and spinning around his body skillfully, appearing as a hurricane of steel to deflect the storm of kunai and shuriken attacking him from all directions.

A subtle twist of his foot caused a sudden change in momentum as he spun and lashed out at a point directly behind his previous position, sparks flying with a screech of metal on metal as the force of his blow was brought to a stop.

Zabuza chuckled darkly even as he struggled for dominance against the unknown Genin that had the nerve to take his blade.

"I see. It seems you have some skill to wield Kubikiri Houcho so easily."

Naruto smiled beneath his mask, his eyes matching stare for stare with the Nuke-nin unflinchingly, each nin's cold eyes filled with the promise of death.

"I admit; the name is fitting, but your blade is…somewhat lacking."

Doubtless the contest of wills would have continued had the two not been interrupted by the appearance of Kakashi stabbing a kunai into Zabuza's side. For a few seconds the three stood still, a sense of anticipation filling the air before Zabuza chuckled darkly.

"Fool, you can't kill me so easily."

With that the Mizu Bunshin dissolved into water. Kakashi barely had time for his eyes to widen in surprise before he was slashed in half by a kunai, he too dissolving into water and revealing himself as a mere water clone, leaving Zabuza to stare in momentary amazement at the puddle lying at his feet.

'He copied my technique through the mist!? Incredible.'

The moment of distraction was all it took for a presence to make itself known behind him as Kakashi appeared in a burst of speed holding a kunai casually against the Nuke-nin's throat in a backhand grip, ready to slice through his neck at a moments notice.

"Looks like I win Zabuza."

The swordsman snorted derisively as he stood calmly with the blade at his throat threatening death at his enemy's whim. Turning his head slightly he looked at Kakashi from the corner of his eye.

"You think it's so easy? You don't get it. You can't defeat me, with your monkey-like imitations!"

With that his form lost shape, quickly losing cohesion as the water forming his body burst apart and splashed to the ground, revealing him to be another Mizu Bunshin.

Without delay, given no time to react, Kakashi found himself on the receiving end of a devastating kick; his body sent flying several metres through the mist to land in the water of the lake.

Quickly struggling to the surface, the Jounin took a moment to gather himself before rejoining the battle.

'Wait a minute, the water… it's too heavy; I can hardly move!'

A sinister voice spoke from above his position and he knew the fight was over; he had lost.

"Suirou no Jutsu."

* * *

'That baka.'

Naruto was annoyed.

Looking at the form of his imprisoned sensei he couldn't help but wonder how anyone so lax could survive to reach such a high rank as shinobi.

'Seriously, I knew something was up as soon as that leaf touched the water without a ripple. How can you not notice the water acting like jelly?'

"Now I'll take care of your cute little students. I'll deal with you later."

Zabuza was obviously enjoying the fear in the air as he had allowed the mist to mostly dissipate, allowing him to see the expressions on the Genin's faces.

"Take Tazuna and run! He can't move whilst holding the prison!"

Kakashi's shout merely served to reaffirm the group's resolve, determination spreading across the faces of Team Seven.

"One who abandons their teammates is worse than trash, right sensei?" Sasuke stated rhetorically with a slight smirk on his face as his confidence returned.

"Regardless of our chances against Zabuza, we still have to save our sensei. We wouldn't be very good subordinates if we didn't," Naruto concurred, Sakura nodding along with her teammates.

Zabuza laughed darkly.

"Look at these cute little genin playing at being ninja. In my bingo book is listed all the most dangerous targets from every hidden village. Until you get in that book, all you are is a bunch of gaki! So run, run and hide from the Kirigakure no Kijin!"

Kakashi paled visibly within his prison.

"So it was you…"

Sakura looked confused and frightened as she spoke up.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you talking about?"

The Jounin's eyes sharpened as he re-focused his attention on his prison, more desperate than ever to break the technique and protect his students.

"Twenty years ago there was a tradition in Kirigakure that earned it the nickname Bloody Mist. The tradition was an exam with a fifty percent failure rate where students were paired off in a fight to the death, with the prize being the title of Genin."

Kakashi's eyes flickered briefly towards Zabuza before he continued.

"The practice was discontinued when a child, not even a member of the Academy, slaughtered the years graduating class. Over one-hundred genin candidates died. That person became known as the Kirigakure no Kijin."

Renewed fear appeared within the eyes of those listening, though Naruto seemed unaffected by the story as the missing nin gained a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

"Ah, good times. To feel their blood coating my hands, staining my soul red. I miss it."

* * *

Naruto was annoyed.

Although the fear tactics were obviously working on the other three still functioning members of the party, he found them easily poked apart with a little logic.

It was obvious that the only ones with any chance against the nuke-nin were himself and Kakashi. Even a simple Mizu Bunshin could easily take care of the other members of the group from what he had seen, despite its obvious weakness compared to the real thing. So why didn't Zabuza do so? Why try to scare them off?

To Naruto it was simple. It was for the exact same reason as Kakashi was helping the missing nin in his scare tactics. Both did so in the hope that the group would flee, removing the need for them to be eliminated. Neither of the Jounin wished to be responsible for the death of defenceless or near defenceless children.

"Enough."

Everyone turned to face him in surprise, the tension broken by the suddenness of the sound.

"I'm tired of listening to your puerile attempts to scare us off. Kakashi-sensei, I will free you shortly. Zabuza, prepare yourself."

Striding forward at a steady pace, Naruto neared the edge of the lake. For a moment everyone thought he was going to wade into the water to reach his target or possibly walk across the surface of the water in the same manner as the two Jounin.

Neither were correct.

As soon as Naruto's foot touched down on the surface of the water, it froze solid. With each step he took, the ice spread faster until, by the time he stood a mere two metres from Zabuza's shocked form the entire lake was frozen solid apart from the hovering ball of the Suirou no Jutsu. Zabuza recovered quickly, using some of the remaining mist to form a Mizu Bunshin to maintain the water prison whilst he walked forward to confront his opponent.

'This kid… he's something else. To freeze the entire lake like that, with no effort at all… he could be even better than Haku.'

Stopping his approach just outside the reach of his zanbato, Zabuza assessed his new opponent coldly, as only an ANBU can.

'No visible weapons but he was able to toss that kunai earlier without being seen. Haku barely got out in time. So he has weapons hidden on his body and his speed is going to be dangerous.'

"You know, all your intimidation tactics are really annoying."

Zabuza chuckled. He seems to do that a lot.

"You think so, eh gaki?" his head tilted backwards slightly, though his eyes never left Naruto's own, giving the nuke-nin a slightly unhinged look. "Better ninja than you have fallen prey to my techniques. Even now I can taste the fear in the air from your team-mates."

Naruto casually looks back over his shoulder at Sasuke and Sakura standing back from the shore, protecting Tazuna, almost inviting Zabuza to attack whilst his guard is down. He doesn't.

Turning back to the missing nin, Naruto continues to speak casually, though there is an intensity, a focus in his voice that belies his façade.

"So your techniques work on rookies and old men. Psychological battle might decide your conflicts with other shinobi, but not with me. Where I come from there is only one way to solve a situation where two fighters meet at odds with one another."

The air is thick with bloodlust and killing intent as Zabuza shifts slightly, preparing himself for battle as his senses scream at the threat that stands before him.

"Oh, and what is that?"

Naruto's movement is almost a blur as he strikes with a diagonal slash, Kubikiri Houcho cleaving a jagged crater in the ice as it impacts the former location of the Kirigakure no Kijin.

"Mortal combat."

* * *

'How can he be so far above me?! He wasn't this powerful when we took the bell test!'

Observing the fight from the shore it was clear that Naruto had the advantage. In addition to being able to keep pace with the enemy Jounin without any apparent effort, Zabuza was having difficulty manoeuvring around an opponent that displayed such skill with a Zanbato whilst he himself was deprived of his primary weapon.

It pissed Sasuke off.

'I need this power!'

* * *

'Damn it! This kid is good,' Zabuza thought, barely avoiding a blow that would have cut his head in half. If he were to be honest, his current opponent was far more than merely "good." He was better than Zabuza himself at utilising Kubikiri Houcho, able to flow from attack to defence and alter the blades momentum more effectively than Zabuza had ever been able to.

'It's like facing Sensei all over again…'

A little know fact about the Shinobigatana Nananin Shu; most of them were not primarily swordsman. Zabuza himself was an assassination expert and swordsmanship (especially the kind involving a blade like Kubikiri Houcho) had never been one of his strong points.

Until he entered the ranks of the Shinobigatana. At that point he and the others selected for the legendary squad were trained by the greatest swordsman in Kiri, a man who dedicated his entire life to the art of the sword.

* * *

The mountain air was cool and crisp, the mist at this altitude constant from the hot-springs dotting the peak, though they did little to stave of the dangerous cold. Lesser men had been frozen solid, statues of ice a testament to the power of the elements as they failed to reach the summit where there could be found a temple of rich woodwork, pristine and almost glowing with an ethereal strength.

It was within the walls of this temple that Zabuza found himself kneeling before a weak old man, his back bent from age, he used a sheathed katana to support himself as he hobbled around the seven men kneeling in respect before him that would in the future be known as the Shinobigatana.

White robes clad his body, loose and flowing in the manner of a warrior to facilitate ease of movement, his pristinely flowing white hair and long, narrow beard almost seeming to meld into the material. Eyes an unusual bright green sat like chips of hard emerald in his aged and lined face, the strong cast of his features almost that of nobility. This was a man who wore his age with pride, as testament to his skill and dedication to his art.

"You have come here to learn from me the way of the blade." The old man spoke firmly, his voice commanding respect and obedience even from these men, trained killers all, though his voice was quite. "Each of you has their own specialty. Physical combat, deception, manipulation of the elements and others besides and as such each of you will choose a blade or set of weapons from my collection to suit your own style. At the end of your training you will forge your own blade as an extension of your body and soul. At that point you will leave this place and never return lest I strike you down myself."

Zabuza seethed in anger at the threat. Who was this old fool to threaten him, Kirigakure no Kijin, whose hands were stained with blood? He should fear and respect him!

Those kneeling beside him seemed to feel the same as the killing intent within rose up like a tsunami, ready to crush the old man in an instant should he falter even slightly.

The old man smiled coldly as he unleashed his own aura, squashing the killing intent down with the sheer presence of his hidden power, the shinobi left trembling in a combination of fear and shock in the aftermath. Such power! They were as sheep to the wolf when compared to this man.

"From this point onwards you shall address me as Master. When I believe you have earned the right, you will cal me Sensei. Never will you speak my name, nor learn it, until you have defeated me and are deemed worthy."

* * *

The first time the Sensei had shown him the potential of his chosen weapon it had been something like this. No matter what he tried, Zabuza was unable to do more than keep pace with his opponent in melee combat.

'Time to change things up a bit.'

Leaping back from the most recent exchange of blows, Zabuza cast his damaged kunai at Naruto, stalling his pursuit as his hands flashed through a set of hand-seals.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

Naruto stopped his approach five metres from the focused Jounin, awaiting the attack.

Nothing happened.

Zabuza's eyes bulged out as he ran through a new set of seals, pumping more chakra into it than before.

"Suiton: Daibakufuu no Jutsu!"

Once again the technique failed.

"Having trouble Zabuza?"

The offhand comment put the Nuke-nin on guard as he settled into a defensive stance, two kunai held in reverse grip in his hands.

"What the hell is going on?! What did you do to me?" Zabuza roared.

Naruto hurled Kubikiri Houcho into the ice between himself and the Nuke-nin before answering, half of the blade disappearing beneath the surface of the lake as it came to rest.

"When you first used the Kirigakure no Jutsu you didn't just perform the technique. You embedded massive amounts of your chakra into the water to make it easier for you to manipulate into your jutsu."

The Jounin was surprised at this answer, most didn't notice the difference.

'That shouldn't matter! If anything it should make it easier to perform my techniques, not render them useless! Unless…'

Narrowing his eyes at the Genin that had somehow managed to go toe to toe with him till now the Kirigakure no Kijin's eyes widened in understanding. Naruto nodded in response, seeing no reason to explain further now that Zabuza had figured it out.

'He froze the lake to the floor, overpowering my Chakra with his own in the process. Otherwise there would be no way for him to freeze the whole lake and I would still be able to use the water imbued with my chakra no matter the distance separated by ice. I never had a chance in this battle.'

It was with this thought that Zabuza attempted to reclaim his lost sword in a last ditch effort to take down his opponent. He might not survive the exchange, but at least he would go down fighting.

Naruto made no move to stop the desperate Nuke-nin, instead waiting calmly as his opponent approached as little more than a blur to the watching Gennin, ripping his sword from its place as he went.

With a roar of defiance, Zabuza swung Kubikiri Houcho recklessly in an attempt to cut his enemy in half.

Zabuza, in his hast and recklessness, choreographed his movements to the point it was child's play for Naruto to complete his finishing move. Even as the Kirigakure no Kijin reared back his blade, Naruto pivoted on his foot, spinning into a crouch as he cut the distance between the two combatants, slipping beneath Zabuza's guard, seeming to almost slide across the ice as lightening crackled across his form. Once he was in position, mere centimeters before the two would collide, Naruto struck.

A solid bolt of lightening struck from betwixt Naruto's hands, held still in the Dragon Claw position with wrists touching as the lightening bolt slammed Zabuza into a tree and through it, continuing on through the forest for twenty metres before his flight was brought to a stop against a large tree, his impact leaving a large dent in the wood as the lightening still pressed into him for a half second before the beam of energy connecting Naruto's hands to the Nuke-nin's body dissipated, small arks of static left flowing across Zabuza's body causing him to twitch spasmodically as he fell to the ground with a groan.

Those same small arcs of electricity dancing between his fingers didn't seem to bother Naruto in the slightest as he casually rose from his crouched position.

"Rairyuu no Tsume."

An unnatural still silence befell the area, as though the world held its breath in awe a moment from the Gennin's actions.

With a splash of water the moment was broken as the Mizu Bunshin maintaining Kakashi's prison dissipated, leaving him soaking wet and freezing, but otherwise unharmed as he recovered from his shock at his student's actions and moved over to finish of the incapacitated Zabuza.

Or at least he would have had he not been brought up short by a pair of senbon needles doing the job for him.

* * *

**Omake**

Half an hour later found Team Seven and their client walking quietly down a dirt road towards Tazuna's house. Everyone was on edge, the mist dampening sound and giving an eerie feeling of anticipation to the travellers. Kakashi had even tucked away his ever present book, though that could have been to avoid water damage from the moisture in the air.

The alert look in Naruto's eyes sharpened momentarily as he passed a bush several metres ahead of the rest of the group, the sound of metal imbedding itself in wood alerting the rest of the team to something amiss.

"What was that?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, his attention focused on the bush as he approached, kunai held in a defensive position, Sakura hovering at his back as though seeking his protection. Upon reaching the bush, the pair took a deep breath before moving aside the obscuring shrubbery.

"Eh, what's up doc?"

There frozen with one foot in the air in the act of creeping along, long ears drooped either side of it's head with a kunai scant centimetres from it's nose was a seven foot tall rabbit, dressed in standard black and dark green jounin uniform, carrots taking the place of kunai on it's hip holster and a Hitaiate with the Warner Brothers logo tied to it's forehead.

Kakashi couldn't help slapping his face at the stupidity of it all as two of his students were drawn into an argument with the wisecracking Bugs Bunny, an argument that they were thoroughly losing by the sounds of things.

"I can just see the lawsuits coming now."

Sometimes it just doesn't pay to roll out of bed in the morning.

* * *

That omake just wouldn't leave me alone. It was like a recurring dream every time I tried to work on this chapter.

* * *

**Just out of curiosity, does anyone else think that**** Suna**** (according to**** Kishimoto-baka's**** description and explanation of chakra) should be the most powerful village ever? I mean, they have**** Fuuton**** as a specialty, which implies a higher average of wind nature chakra users. Wind nature chakra that can cut a molecule in half (apparently). They have puppeteers, masters of the use of chakra strings, invisible (remember, only nifty**** doujutsu**** and magic anime cameras can see chakra) strings that can be used to manipulate physical objects from a mid-long range of distance. Combine the two… "HOLY SHIT I JUST CHOPPED MY PUPPET INTO ITTY BITTY PIECES FROM TWENTY METRES AWAY USING FUCK ALL CHAKRA. Let's see if I can't do it again."**

**If you like that idea, run with it. I wouldn't mind seeing it used in a story.**

**Ok, Today's rant-Misuse of the ranking system in**** fanfics****. This really pisses me off for some reason. I mean, I get that you want to make your character seem powerful by giving them a high ranking in the bingo book, but for that ranking to mean anything the other characters have to treat it like it has meaning. Some of you are probably going "What the fuck is this dude talking about?"**

**Let me break it down for you:**

**Onikyodai**** are**** Chuunin specialised**** in tag team tactics and with a reputation for not stopping till their target is down or their mission accomplished. They are bloodthirsty, violent and borderline psychotic. They also like poisoning their weapons meaning even a scratch is potentially fatal. These two are C-RANK MISSING NIN (or Nuke****-nin**** if you prefer)**

**Zabuza, the ****Kirigakure no**** Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist) ****who slaughtered over one hundred Genin potentials before even entering the academy, is a former ANBU ****specialised**** in stealth and assassination. He attempted a coup de**** etat**** on the Mizukage and is also a former member of the elite group of**** Kiri**** no Shinobigatana Nananin**** Shu**** (Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist). He is an A-RANK MISSING NIN.**

**Kisame****, formerly of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shu, killed (or attempted to kill, I can't really remember the exact cause of his Nuke-nin status) the Daimyo of Mizu no Kuni, killing many ANBU in the process of his escape, (most likely for the fun of it). Owns a Chakra devouring sword that shaves/grates anything it comes in contact with. He is sadistic, bloodthirsty and psychotic with his specialties being**** Kenjutsu**** and Ninjutsu; he is highly powerful, if not Kage level than at least well above Jounin or ANBU class. He is an S-RANK MISSING NIN.**

**Ok, you can see how they fit in the rankings easily enough right? I even used guys from the same village for better comparison.**** The other characters all also treat them appropriately. **

**D-RANK-Low threat level, basically negligible unless you are a civilian.**

**C-RANK-****Mildly Dangerous, low threat level, some caution may be necessary.**

**B-RANK-Dang****erous, Caution advised. **

**A-RANK-High Danger, Proceed with caution. Avoid if possible. ****Backup ****recommended.**

**S-RANK-DO NOT INITIATE CONTACT WITHOUT BACKUP. AVOID**** IF POSSIBLE. ESCAPE/SURVIVAL IS THE PRIORITY.**

**So with that in mind, if I remember correctly the ONLY SS-rank shinobi in canon was the Yondaime (if not he fucking should have been, even if he is only a one trick pony, that is one fuck you up trick). His Bingo book entry is very simple ****regardless****.**

**SS-RANK-DO NOT ENGAGE. FLEE ON SIGHT.**

**So fucking simple. Very easy to understand the ranking system, something any ninja could comprehend, which is the exact reason it is so simple-it is easy to remember and gives a guideline for any encounters involving those individuals that can help a shinobi decide on a course of action. All of this makes sense so far right? Good.**

**SO WHY THE FUCK DO YOU BRAINLESS PIECES OF MAGGOT INFESTED, GOAT SODOMISING, TWISTED FREAKS GO AND GIVE YOUR FUCKING A-RANK AT BEST CHARACTER SS-RANK AND THEN HAVE EVERY HIPPY HOMO TREE HUGGING LIMP DICK SHIT EATER AND THEIR PARAPLEGIC TRANSVESTITE PROSTITUTE FUCK BUDDY DECIDE "oh, this guy has a ridiculously large bounty on his head and is marked as an SS-rank nin, the only other one of which wiped out an entire shinobi army single handed and defeated the most powerful demon to walk the earth. It should be fun to fight them, kill them and collect the bounty. Failing that, let's fuck with him and see if we can manipulate/use them for our own gain. It should be easy, entertaining and not at all dangerous. Ha-ha. Chuckle-snort."**

**Yeah, right.**** Dumbass****.**

**If you want to see a fic that does this right and doesn't fuck it up, look for fics that have naruto as a puppeteer, over 40,000 words. One of them (can't remember right now which one, it being 4:20am and all, oh wait I'll go look now)**

Puppet Master Naruto by SerpentSannin **rocks hard and does S-Rank Naruto in the best way you are likely to see. Go read it and his Harry Potter story. Awesomely cool is all I can say about both stories. It makes me giddy every time I see a new chap for his HP one. Trembly with excitement even.**

**Rairyuu no Tsume**(Claw of the Lightning Dragon)-This technique is utilised by the user crouching low and spinning rapidly as they approach their opponent. Using the friction created by this movement, static can be created and amplified using lightening natured chakra to coat the body in a negative charge of electricity. This gives protection as it will stun any opponent who manages to interrupt this stage of the attack. The static charge is also used to create a "sliding" effect that decreases the distance between the user and opponent rapidly with surprising speed and can also be used to increase the speed of rotation to generate more force for the attack and with the crouched position get in beneath an enemy's guard. Disguised as a taijutsu move, any attempt to dodge or block the attack at this point is mostly futile as the spinning motion gives a near instantaneous 360 degree targeting radius and the ranged nature of the technique means that an opponent cannot simply step back from the blow and remain unharmed.

**Kirigakure no Jutsu**(Hidden Mist Technique)-Creates a thick, dense mist/fog.

**Suirou no Jutsu**(Water Prison Technique)- Creates a sphere of chakra laden water that makes it impossible for the one trapped inside it to move or breath. This technique needs physical contact with creator or a clone of the creator to maintain.


End file.
